Frankfurt has become the starting point for an unusually broad German reset. Jürgen Klopp has opened his first Germany camp with a 44-man Nations League pool, splitting the four-match programme into two groups as he looks beyond the country’s latest World Cup disappointment and toward a deeper reshaping of the national side.
Sixteen of the selected players could make their senior international debuts. Klopp’s plan is not to establish a fixed first-choice squad immediately, but to spread minutes, manage workloads and inspect a wide range of options across the September and October fixtures.
A four-match audition across Europe
- Germany’s first group will travel to Amsterdam to face the Netherlands on 24 September.
- That contingent then meets Greece in Augsburg on 27 September.
- A second group is due to take over for Serbia’s visit to Munich on 1 October.
- The final match takes Germany to Thessaloniki, where Greece awaits again on 4 October.
Marc-André ter Stegen is set to resume as the starting goalkeeper after 15 months away. Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry and Nico Schlotterbeck will remain with the squad throughout all four dates as they rebuild competitive rhythm following physical problems.
Klopp stressed in Frankfurt that the two sections are not a hierarchy. “We have not selected an A team and a B team,” he said. “Our intention is to win every one of the four matches. The level of talent available has impressed us greatly, and there were players who still could not be included.”
Germany’s Under-21 selection was also due to be named the following day, with Klopp pointing to the strength of the next generation waiting below the senior squad.
First squad: Netherlands and Greece
- Goalkeepers: Finn Dahmen (Augsburg), Alexander Nübel (Besiktas), Marc-André ter Stegen (Ajax).
- Defenders: Hennes Behrens (Augsburg), Yann Aurel Bisseck (Inter), Nathaniel Brown (Bayern), Max Rosenfelder (Freiburg), Nico Schlotterbeck (Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayern), Philipp Treu (Freiburg), Josha Vagnoman (Stuttgart).
- Midfielders: Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), Bambasé Conté (Hoffenheim), Yannik Engelhardt (Freiburg), Chris Führich (Stuttgart), Serge Gnabry (Bayern), Lennart Karl (Bayern), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern), Jamal Musiala (Bayern), Felix Nmecha (Dortmund), Kevin Schade (Brentford), Anton Stach (Leeds).
- Forwards: Younes Ebnoutalib (Frankfurt), Kai Havertz (Arsenal).
Second squad: Serbia and Greece
- Goalkeepers: Noah Atubolu (Frankfurt), Finn Dahmen (Augsburg), Jonas Urbig (Bayern).
- Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Dortmund), Ridle Baku (Leipzig), Finn Jeltsch (Stuttgart), Maximilian Mittelstädt (Stuttgart), David Raum (Leipzig), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle).
- Midfielders: Karim Adeyemi (Barcelona), Mika Baur (Celtic), Tom Bischof (Bayern), Said El Mala (Cologne), Brajan Gruda (Leipzig), Vitaly Janelt (Brentford), Felix Keidel (Elversberg), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern), Derry Scherhant (Freiburg), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool).
- Forwards: Jonathan Burkardt (Frankfurt), Nick Woltemade (Juventus).
A smaller link to the previous World Cup
Leroy Sané, Deniz Undav, Oliver Baumann and Pascal Groß are among the notable omissions. Following the international retirements of Manuel Neuer and Antonio Rüdiger, only 15 members of Germany’s previous World Cup group remain in Klopp’s selection.
The new coach also framed the job as something larger than results and selection debates. He said Germany must rediscover enjoyment around the national team and expressed his hope that political issues would not dominate future discussions. Klopp wants supporters to feel comfortable with their flag and happy to live in the country, arguing that national pride should not be surrendered to the wrong people.
“I am proud to have this role,” Klopp said. “The time devoted to football should help create a sense of togetherness and make people feel better. It is up to us to create that atmosphere, but it also needs people who are ready to receive it and be carried along by it.”
