Jürgen Klopp Stuns Germany With 44-Man Squad
Germany’s new head coach is taking an unusual approach to the next four matches, while leaving out one of the team’s standout World Cup performers.
Jürgen Klopp is already doing things his way with the Germany national team. The new head coach has named a massive 44-player squad, split into two different groups for the country’s next four UEFA Nations League matches.
The approach will allow Klopp to use the games against the Netherlands, Greece and Serbia as an extended audition with one eye on Euro 2028. It will also help manage the workload of some of Germany’s biggest stars during a particularly demanding international window.
As a result, players such as Florian Wirtz and Kai Havertz could be limited to a maximum of two matches. Nations League rules make Klopp’s unusual experiment possible, with Germany only required to register a 23-man squad before each game and able to make changes between fixtures.
The Big Omission: Deniz Undav
Among those 44 names, one absence immediately stands out: Deniz Undav. The striker was Germany’s leading scorer at the 2026 World Cup, recording three goals and two assists despite the team’s early elimination.
Germany were knocked out by Paraguay on penalties in the round of 32, a result that also brought Julian Nagelsmann’s spell as national team head coach to an end.
Leroy Sané has also been left out. The Galatasaray winger, who has earned 80 caps for Germany, will not be part of Klopp’s first major international window in charge.
Klopp Opens the Door to a New Germany
Beyond the notable absences, the number of unfamiliar faces among the 44 call-ups is perhaps the most striking element of Klopp’s selection. The former Liverpool boss wants to significantly expand his player pool before settling on the core of his team for the next major tournament.
Among the less experienced names are Felix Keidel of Elversberg and Younes Ebnoutalib of Eintracht Frankfurt, both of whom have only limited experience at the highest level.
Germany will begin the window against the Netherlands on September 24, before facing Greece on September 27, hosting Serbia on October 1 and finishing with another meeting against Greece on October 4.
Jürgen Klopp’s 44-Man Germany Squad
For the matches against the Netherlands and Greece, Klopp selected Finn Dahmen, Alexander Nübel and Marc-André ter Stegen as his goalkeepers. The defenders are Hennes Behrens, Yann-Aurel Bisseck, Nathaniel Brown, Max Rosenfelder, Nico Schlotterbeck, Jonathan Tah, Philipp Treu and Josha Vagnoman.
The midfield group features Nadiem Amiri, Bambasé Conté, Yannik Engelhardt, Chris Führich, Serge Gnabry, Lennart Karl, Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, Felix Nmecha, Kevin Schade and Anton Stach, with Younes Ebnoutalib and Kai Havertz selected as forwards.
For the matches against Serbia and Greece, the goalkeepers are Noah Atubolu, Finn Dahmen and Jonas Urbig, while Waldemar Anton, Ridle Baku, Finn Jeltsch, Maximilian Mittelstädt, David Raum and Malick Thiaw make up the defense.
The midfielders are Karim Adeyemi, Mika Baur, Tom Bischof, Saïd El Mala, Brajan Gruda, Vitaly Janelt, Felix Keidel, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Derry Scherhant and Florian Wirtz, while Jonathan Burkardt and Nick Woltemade complete the attacking options.
The enormous squad makes Klopp’s intentions clear: before deciding what his Germany team will ultimately look like, he wants to take a close look at as many options as possible.
Key Takeaways
- Jürgen Klopp has called up 44 players, divided into two squads for Germany’s next four matches.
- Deniz Undav, Germany’s leading scorer at the 2026 World Cup with three goals, is the most notable omission.
- Klopp will use the Nations League to test new faces and begin building his squad toward Euro 2028.
