Germany’s new coach Jürgen Klopp has announced his first squad for the national team, selecting 44 players for the UEFA Nations League games.
The German Football Association confirmed the squad announcement on 17 September 2026 at the DFB Campus in Frankfurt. Rather than selecting one traditional group, Klopp has divided the players into two squads to cover Germany’s four Nations League games in September and October.
The move will give Klopp the opportunity to assess a lot of players as he starts his tenure following Germany’s 2026 World Cup campaign.
Germany to Face Netherlands and Greece First
The first group will be involved in Germany’s opening two Nations League matches.
Germany will then travel to Amsterdam on 24 September to face the Netherlands, before hosting Greece in Augsburg on 27 September.
The squad includes established names such as Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry, Kai Havertz and Nico Schlotterbeck.
Marc-André ter Stegen has also returned to the squad and is expected to be Klopp’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Second Squad for October Fixtures
Klopp has selected another group for Germany’s October matches.
The second squad will play Serbia in Munich on October 1 and Greece away at Thessaloniki on October 4.
Players like Florian Wirtz, Karim Adeyemi, Jonathan Burkardt, Nick Woltemade and Tom Bischof are in this group.
Finn Jeltsch, Felix Keidel, Vitaly Janelt, Mika Baur and Derry Scherhant are among the players to receive their first senior Germany call-ups.
16 Players Could Make Their Debuts
One of the main talking points of Klopp’s selection is the number of young and uncapped players.
There are 16 players in the 44-man selection who are yet to make their senior Germany debut. Frankfurt forward Younes Ebnoutalib, Freiburg defender Philipp Treu and Hoffenheim winger Bambasé Conté are among the new faces.
Klopp said the enlarged selection was designed to allow him to evaluate as many players as possible and to deal with the busy international schedule.
Jürgen Klopp's first Germany squad 🇩🇪
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) September 17, 2026
The new national team coach called up 44 players, split into two groups.
It includes 11 debutants!
There's no room for Deniz Undav, Oliver Baumann, and Leroy Sané... #DFBTeam pic.twitter.com/wB9M6MOCAm
Kimmich Remains Germany Captain
Joshua Kimmich still holds the Germany captaincy under Klopp. The Bayern Munich midfielder also is expected to return to a more central midfield role.
Kimmich has 114 international caps and is the most experienced player in Klopp’s current squad.
Meanwhile, former Germany captain Manuel Neuer has retired from international football, leaving Klopp with a new goalkeeping problem. Ter Stegen has been selected for the first two matches while Jonas Urbig is part of the second group.
A New Era Under Klopp
Klopp was appointed Germany head coach in July 2026, replacing Julian Nagelsmann.
His first Nations League selections show an early willingness to mix established international players with young prospects. The split-squad approach also allows Klopp to evaluate different combinations over four matches.
Germany’s first Nations League match under Klopp will then be against the Netherlands on September 24, which will be the start of a new phase for the national team.
