With our Fantasy FIFA World Cup 2026 team-by-team preview series in full swing, it’s time to turn our attention to Germany.

Julian Nagelsmann is aiming to guide the four-time world champions far deeper into this summer’s competition than his predecessors managed at their last four major tournaments.

In that dismal run, Nationalelf were ‘grouped’ at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and progressed farthest with a disappointing quarter-final finish at their home European Championships in 2024.

In Group E, they first face minnows Curacao, meaning Round 1 interest is likely to be high from a Fantasy perspective.

Ivory Coast and Ecuador could provide sterner tests, but the Germans are still heavily favoured to progress as group winners.

Below, we examine Germany’s path to qualification and results since then, plus provide an overview of their squad and potential best players for the official Fantasy FIFA World Cup 2026 game.

SQUAD

Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer ($5.0m) came out of international retirement just in time to be named in Julian Nagelsmann’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.

In fact, the German head coach says the veteran goalkeeper will be Nationalmannschaft‘s number one in the Americas.

There were no real massive shocks, with Serge Gnabry‘s absence enforced by injury.

Alas, fitness reasons have also cost us the chance to see the exciting Lennart Karl ($4.8m). Named in the original squad (see above), a thigh injury sustained in training in early June has ruled him out of the tournament.

Assan Ouedraogo (price TBC), the young RB Leipzig midfielder, takes his place.

ROAD TO QUALIFICATION

A nightmarish start to their qualification campaign for Germany – a disjointed showing leading to a 2-0 loss in Slovakia – was quickly rectified with a home win against spirited Northern Ireland.

Things got better from there, in the form of four wins to nil. Those included a resounding 6-0 over the Slovaks in their final, qualification-clinching appearance.

The Germans ranked fairly well (if not top of the class) among their European competitors for both expected goals (xG) and expected goals conceded (xGC) per 90 minutes:

Indeed, a tally of three goals conceded was fewer than all nations except England (zero), Spain or Switzerland (both two). Germany’s 66.7% possession and 90% passing accuracy placed them in Europe’s top three and top five, respectively

BIGGEST GOAL THREATS IN QUALIFICATION

Note: The above xG is non-penalty

Leading the way with four goals in six starts was Nick Woltemade ($7.2m), scoring at a pretty clinical rate given he only took 10 shots.

Gnabry, who, as mentioned, won’t be at the World Cup, trailed the big frontman with three goals from 15 shots and a team-leading xG of 2.20.

Two-goal winger Leroy Sane ($7.4m) will be there, though, and could benefit from Karl and Gnabry’s absence with a starting spot up for grabs.

Elsewhere, Florian Wirtz ($7.5m) was his nation’s highest volume shooter, with 16 attempts, yet he only scored once in qualifying, back on matchday two.

Instead, it was versatile veteran Joshua Kimmich ($5.5m) who joined Sane on two qualifying goals. Both were from the same game – the 4-0 win over Luxembourg – and one of them came from the penalty spot.

MOST CREATIVE PLAYERS IN QUALIFYING

When it came to playmaking, Wirtz was again Germany’s statistical leader, having delivered 21 key passes with an expected goals assisted figure of 2.49. 

The Liverpool attacking midfielder registered two assists, both of them in the decisive 6-0 victory against Slovakia. Both of them set up goals for Sane, who delivered one of his own two qualifying assists in the same game.

RB Leipzig defender David Raum ($4.9m), meanwhile, provided an assist on matchdays two and four, either side of his matchday three goal against Luxembourg. He trailed only Wirtz for key passes and expected assists.

You won’t be surprised to hear, given the stats, that Raum and Wirtz were chief set-piece takers.

SINCE QUALIFICATION

Having wrapped up their qualification to the World Cup finals in the six-game period culminating in November’s 6-0 win over Slovakia, Germany played two friendlies in March and won them both.

Wirtz ran the show against Switzerland with two goals and two assists. Pascal Groß ($5.6m) – probably unlikely to see much gametime as a starter this summer, given Germany’s breadth of attacking talent – assisted Wirtz’s second, while Bayern centre-back Jonathan Tah ($5.3m) was also on the scoresheet. 

Against Ghana, Kai Havertz ($7.8m) – who started up front in the Switzerland game, after missing the entire qualifying campaign through injury – scored a penalty. He was then one of several players subbed at half-time, while Deniz Undav ($6.6m) scored a late winner off the bench.

In their first of two World Cup warm-up matches, meanwhile, Nagelsmann’s crew beat Finland 4-0 at the end of May using what may have been a largely first-choice XI.

Undav bagged a brace and an assist, having started over Havertz, who was missing due to Arsenal’s appearance in the Champions League final a day prior. Interestingly, Frankfurt’s Nathaniel Brown ($4.7m) started at left-back over Raum and received praise for his pace and 1v1 abilities from Nagelsmann.

Jamal Musiala ($8.0m) scored on his first start and appearance for Germany in 2025/26 after an injury-hit club campaign, while Wirtz also found the back of the net.

Finally, in Chicago on Saturday night, Havertz returned to the national team fold with a bang. Scoring a header from a set piece, he then teed up Sane for a second-half winner.

This was the side Nagelsmann sent out (via BBC Sport), with Brown again preferred:

Barring a recall for Neuer between the posts, is that the XI we’ll see against Curacao?

WORLD CUP FIXTURES

See all those World Cup Fantasy team reveals with triple Germany? That’s because Nationalmannschaft face one of the tournament outsiders in Round 1.

According to the bookies’ odds, Nagelsmann’s troops have the best chance of a win (97.1%) and a clean sheet (73.4%) of all 48 teams:

The tests get sterner as the group stage progresses. Cote d’Ivoire didn’t concede a single goal in qualification, and only two in five subsequent friendlies. They even beat France last week.

Then, Ecuador, who remarkably only conceded on five occasions in 18 South American qualification matches.

TOP FANTASY PICKS

Jamal Musiala ($8.0m) is arguably Germany’s best player when on song. But after a season disrupted by injury, he’s not quite hit full stride since returning to action for club and country. The Bayern star is also the priciest of Nagelsmann’s assets in Fantasy, so might there be better value elsewhere?

Florian Wirtz ($7.5m) could end up being equally as influential as his attacking teammate and he costs half a million less in the official Fantasy game.

His high selection percentage – 22.3% at the time of writing, to Musiala’s 12.2% – also perhaps makes him a safer pick to start with.

In four friendlies this calendar year, Wirtz has bagged three goals and two assists. He’s also registered more shots and key passes combined (20) than any of his teammates in that time.

Midfielders get rewarded for key passes in World Cup Fantasy, so his role on set plays is another draw.

And he could also pick up direct free-kick bonus, too.

At the back, a clear standout candidate.

A few weeks ago, there was a real debate to be had regarding David Raum ($4.9m) v Joshua Kimmich ($5.5m) as the go-to Germany defender.

But now, Nathaniel Brown ($4.7m) has emerged to render Raum a serious rotation risk – and so Kimmich it is.

The skipper produced a timely assist in Saturday’s friendly, when his free-kick was nodded in by Havertz.

A taker of 12 corners in this year’s kickabouts, Kimmich is now Germany’s leading chance creator of 2026:

Above: Germany players sorted by chances created (CC) in 2026

Centre-backs Jonathan Tah ($5.3m) – who boasts 13 goals across his last three club seasons – and Nico Schlotterbeck ($5.3m) are both owned by under 5% of managers, for anyone seeking a Scouting Bonus differential.

Finally, has Kai Havertz ($7.8m) played his way into a few Fantasy teams with Saturday’s superb showing?

The Arsenal man was absent in qualifying and has struggled with injury all season but even before the USA game, he was tipped by many outlets to be Nagelsmann’s chosen line leader.

His touch heatmap (above) on Saturday shows that he’ll often drift and drop deep to lead the line but we can expect more penalty box prominence against Curacao.

Nick Woltemade ($7.2m) and Deniz Undav ($6.6m) are threats, of course, and may eat into his game-time, even if it’s just off the bench.