Julian Nagelsmann will announce his World Cup squad on Thursday. No other Bundesliga team has such a broad line-up for the 2026 World Cup as FC Bayern
The World Cup begins on 11 June in Mexico City and ends on 19 July in New York. For the first time, the tournament will be played in three countries – the USA, Canada and Mexico – with 48 teams, more than ever before. Around 19 professionals from the current Munich squad will be involved, spread across ten national teams, including the German block, England captain Harry Kane and Alphonso Davies, who will wear the armband at Canada’s home World Cup
A summer of soccer over 39 days
The tournament will run for 39 days. For Munich fans, it will be much more than a DFB summer, as Bayern professionals are in almost every one of the twelve groups. If you want to see them all, you will be sitting in front of the screen for long hours on many evenings. Due to the North American time zones, many games will not start until late in the evening or in the middle of the night German time, and will be broadcast on MagentaTV. The venues are spread across three countries and several time zones, from Vancouver to Miami. For the first time, the best third-placed teams in the group will also reach the knockout round, which will extend the preliminary round
Major tournaments in Germany are regular phases of increased attention for everything to do with soccer, from betting games among colleagues to online offers. Low-threshold entry points such as casinos with free starting credit are part of the overall package for many users. On the final group match days, the games in a group run simultaneously, meaning that not every Munich game can be followed live
Eight Munich players make up the German squad
FC Bayern make up the largest single block in the DFB team. Captain Joshua Kimmich and centre-back Jonathan Tah are part of the scaffolding, while Aleksandar Pavlovic is a regular in midfield after a collarbone fracture set him back this season. Jamal Musiala is back after suffering a serious leg fracture in the summer of 2025 and has recently caught the eye again with goal contributions. Leon Goretzka is also in the squad after strong performances, although he was not a regular at Bayern; he knows Pavlovic from daily training, which gives Nagelsmann options in midfield. Lennart Karl, brought up from the youth ranks this season, was called up to the senior squad for the first time. Young goalkeeper Jonas Urbig could also make the trip as a third keeper. Eight Munich players are expected to make the final squad
The goalkeeper question remains open. According to reports from Sky and Bild, Manuel Neuer will return as number one and Nagelsmann has already informed the previous regular keeper Oliver Baumann by telephone. This has not been confirmed. Neuer ended his international playing career in 2024 and was recently slowed down by muscular problems in his calf. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to play in the cup final against VfB Stuttgart on Saturday
Munich players in nine other squads
In addition to the DFB team, the squad is spread across nine other countries. Harry Kane, England’s record goalscorer and recently top scorer in the Bundesliga again, leads the Three Lions. In France, two Munich players, Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano, are in the squad of a top favourite whose attack is led by Kylian Mbappé. Olise has just been voted player of the season in the Bundesliga. Min-jae Kim wears the captain’s armband for South Korea, who face hosts Mexico in their group. Konrad Laimer is set for his first World Cup appearance since 1998 with Austria, while Luis Díaz is on the attack with Colombia, who finished third in South American qualifying for the finals
Alphonso Davies has recently been troubled by a muscle injury, but coach Jesse Marsch is counting on the captain, for whom the home World Cup would be a special stage
- Harry Kane, England, Group L
- Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano, France, Group I
- Min-jae Kim, South Korea, Group A
- Alphonso Davies, Canada, Group B
- Hiroki Ito, Japan, Group F
- Josip Stanišić, Croatia, Group L
- Konrad Laimer, Austria, Group J
- Luis Díaz, Colombia, Group K
- Nicolas Jackson, Senegal, Group I
Three Bayern duels in the groups
The draw will see club colleagues meet again. In Group I, France will face Senegal, with Olise and Upamecano facing Nicolas Jackson, while Sadio Mané, who was under contract in Munich until 2023, is an ex-Munich player. France are the favourites, but Norway and Erling Haaland will be an uncomfortable opponent. Group L will see England and Croatia face off, with Kane against Stanišić; Croatia have been one of the strongest teams at the tournament for years, and progress is a must for both. And in Group K, Díaz and Colombia could face Portugal and Raphaël Guerreiro, who is leaving FC Bayern in the summer
The squad will be announced on Thursday
Nagelsmann will present the final squad on Thursday at the DFB campus in Frankfurt. The tournament begins for the German team on 14 June in Houston against Curaçao, followed by the Ivory Coast in Toronto and Ecuador in the New York area. The venues in the knockout round depend on the team’s position in Group E
Late return for Kompany
For Vincent Kompany, the wide squad also has a planning consequence. The further his international players progress at the World Cup, the later they will return to Munich, with an extended break and correspondingly shorter preparation for the new season. Bayern are therefore likely to play the first few weeks of summer preparation without the majority of their regular squad.