The discussion about Germany’s 2026 World Cup squad is gathering pace, with two FC Bayern players facing competition in midfield
As the plans for the 2026 World Cup slowly become more concrete, potential candidates in the midfield of the German national team are also being discussed. Two FC Bayern players are also in the spotlight: Leon Goretzka and Aleksandar Pavlovic
Record-breaking international Lothar Matthäus made it clear on Sky that, despite their recent good performances, neither Bayern player can be sure of making it to the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico: „For me, Nmecha is a competitor for Pavlovic and Goretzka,“ explained Matthäus. Therefore, there is „no free ride“ for the two FC Bayern players, he explained
According to the 64-year-old, the midfield duo must continue to hold their own against strong competition. Matthäus sees Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha in particular as a serious challenger in the race for the coveted places in national coach Julian Nagelsmann’s squad
Nagelsmann has Goretzka’s back
At the same time, however, the former world champion emphasized that both Goretzka and Pavlovic had shown convincing performances recently: „But both are Bayern players who have performed well, especially in the last six or seven months. Even if Goretzka got fewer minutes, both are certainly highly rated by Nagelsmann,“ said Matthäus
National coach Nagelsmann himself had also recently signaled that Goretzka still has a good chance of playing in the national team – despite his reduced playing time at FC Bayern
„As things stand now, Leon Goretzka will have a good chance of playing and having a similar role to the one he had in the World Cup qualifiers, despite less playing time at Bayern. Because he is someone who also goes into the sixteen, who is strong with his head and has good power,“ explained the 38-year-old in an interview with kicker.
