Euro 2024

Euro 2024 hosts Germany confirm 26-man squad - Who makes the cut? Which stars have missed out?

By Oliver Thomas, Senior Reporter | 13 June 2024

Germany Euro 2024 squad - Who makes the cut? Which stars have missed out?

Germany announce their final 26-man squad ahead of hosting Euro 2024 this summer, but who has made the cut and which star names have been left out?

Germany have officially confirmed their 26-man squad ahead of hosting Euro 2024 this summer.

UEFA announced last month that squad sizes have been increased from 23 to 26 players for this year's eagerly-anticipated continental tournament, and all squads must include at least three goalkeepers.

Julian Nagelsmann replaced Hansi Flick as head coach in September last year and he has since had nine months to prepare for the Euros and made a final decision on his squad selection.

Die Mannschaft are bidding to win a record-extending fourth European Championship title and have been drawn in Group A with Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at Germany's 26-man squad for Euro 2024, who has been selected and who are the unfortunate players to miss out.

Which German stars have been selected?

Germany's Manuel Neuer celebrates their fifth goal on June 14, 2022 © Reuters

Nagelsmann has selected a total of three goalkeepers including veteran shot-stopper and 119-cap international Manuel Neuer, who at the age of 38 is gearing up for his eighth major tournament with Germany.

Neuer is joined in the goalkeeping department by Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Oliver Baumann, the latter is the only member of Nagelsmann's final squad who is yet to make his senior international debut.

Stuttgart duo Waldemar Anton and Maximilian Mittelstadt, who have just six caps between them, are among the nine defenders named in Germany's squad along with Antonio Rudiger, Nico Schlotterbeck, Jonathan Tah, Robin Koch, Benjamin Henrichs, David Raum and Joshua Kimmich, the latter is down as a defender even though he has also featured regularly in midfield for club and country.

Nagelsmann's midfield offers a mixture of youth and experience, and the German boss has named Barcelona's Ilkay Gundogan, 33, as his captain for this summer's tournament.

Germany's Toni Kroos in action on March 26, 2024 © Reuters

Thirty-four-year-old Toni Kroos - who will be retiring after the tournament - and 32-year-old Pascal Gross are other midfield options at Nagelsmann's disposal along with Robert Andrich, Emre Can, Chris Fuhrich, Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane and Florian Wirtz, the latter three are also able to play in attack.

The most-capped member of Germany's squad is Thomas Muller (129), who has been called up alongside Arsenal's Kai Havertz and Borussia Dortmund's Niclas Fullkrug.

After scoring 15 Bundesliga goals for Hoffenheim last season, one-cap 21-year-old Maximilian Beier has been rewarded with a call-up, as has two-cap international Deniz Undav who scored 18 league goals on loan at Stuttgart in 2023-24.

Which German stars will miss Euro 2024?

Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels, Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck celebrate after the match on May 7, 2024 © Reuters

Two of the standout names that will not represent Germany at this summer's tournament is Dortmund's experienced defender Mats Hummels and Bayern midfielder Leon Goretzka.

Hummels, who was named Man of the Match in both legs of Dortmund Champions League semi-final win over Paris Saint-Germain, boasts 78 Germany caps to his name, but he has been omitted for the second consecutive major tournament, while 57-cap Goretzka has failed to make the cut after playing at the 2022 World Cup.

Nagelsmann has since revealed that both players are "very disappointed" to miss out on Euro 2024, telling reporters last month: "I had longer conversations with both of them. The talks were at the beginning of the week. Of course, both players are extremely disappointed.

"Even as a club coach, I had real problems having these conversations before important games. Telling a player he's not going to play at a European Championship at home has different consequences and isn't nice. But keeping the information secret is even worse.

"In the end, however, as head coach I have to make a decision in the interest of the team. They were both very disappointed, which is understandable, but I tried to explain things. They weren't bad conversations, but of course I've had more pleasant ones."

Germany's Leon Goretzka pictured on October 14, 2023 © Reuters

Speaking specifically about Goretzka's omission, Nagelsmann added: "It wasn't nasty. Of course these conversations are always emotional. There are different characters who react differently. Some say nothing on the phone, others want a detailed explanation.

"The shortest conversation lasted 1:11 minutes, the longest 22:30 minutes. It hurts me to give a rejection like that, it hurts him, so it's normal for emotions to arise, but it wasn't malicious on either side."

Hummels's Dortmund teammates Julian Brandt, Karim Adeyemi, Emre Can, Niklas Sule and Felix Nmecha have also been left out of Nagelsmann's squad, as has Bayern attacker Serge Gnabry, who has been hampered with injuries this term, and Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, who has impressed when called upon by Pep Guardiola.

Kevin Trapp, Lukas Klostermann, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Matthias Ginter, Christian Gunter, Thilo Kehrer, Jonas Hofmann, Youssoufa Moukoko and Mario Gotze - who scored the winner in the 2014 World Cup final - were all part of the Germany squad in Qatar at the 2022 World Cup, but they will not be involved at Euro 2024.

Alexander Nubel received his first senior international call-up at the end of last month after starring on loan at Stuttgart from Bayern Munich, but the goalkeeper has since been cut from Nagelamann's squad, while Bayern's 20-year-old starlet Aleksandar Pavlovic has pulled out of the squad as he is suffering with Tonsillitis; Dortmund's Can has been called up as his replacement.

Germany's 26-man squad for Euro 2024:

Germany players pose for a team group photo before the match on June 3, 2024 © Reuters

Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)

Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Stuttgart), Benjamin Henrichs (RB Leipzig), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maximilian Mittelstadt (Stuttgart), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Midfielders: Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen), Emre Can (Borussia Dortmund), Chris Fuhrich (Stuttgart), Pascal Gross (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)

Attackers: Maximilian Beier (Hoffenheim), Niclas Fullkrug (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart)

Group and fixtures

Euro 2024 Group A (19/06)

June 14: Germany 5-1 Scotland (8pm | Allianz Arena, Munich)
June 19: Germany 2-0 Hungary (5pm | MHPArena, Stuttgart)
June 23: Switzerland vs. Germany (8pm | Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt)