How Germany could line up at the World Cup | OneFootball

After consecutive group-stage exits at the World Cup, Germany will be under pressure to deliver a far stronger showing at the upcoming tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

With roughly three weeks to go before their opening group match against Curaçao, head coach Julian Nagelsmann already appears to have settled on much of his starting XI.

Barring any injuries, Manuel Neuer will be starting in goal after coming out of retirement specifically for the tournament. Ahead of him, all indications point to a back four of Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, Nico Schlotterbeck and David Raum. The experienced Antonio Rüdiger will be the main competitor for a place in central defence, while Nathaniel Brown offers an alternative to Raum at left-back.

Although Kimmich has been a central midfield figure for Bayern Munich this season, Nagelsmann has made it clear that he intends to deploy him at right-back, largely due to a lack of convincing alternatives in that position.

In midfield, Aleksandar Pavlović looks set to start after establishing himself during the World Cup qualifying campaign, before an injury ruled him out of Germany’s March friendlies against Switzerland and Ghana. The key remaining question is who partners him in the double pivot.

Despite spending much of the season on the bench at Bayern Munich, Leon Goretzka is widely expected to start at the World Cup, with Nagelsmann repeatedly praising him in public. 

However, with Serge Gnabry ruled out through injury, Goretzka could be pushed further forward into an attacking midfield role – a position he has previously played under Nagelsmann, who values his physical presence and aerial threat in advanced areas.

If that adjustment is made, Felix Nmecha would likely start alongside Pavlović, a scenario that appears increasingly plausible after Nagelsmann recently labelled the Borussia Dortmund midfielder a “world-class” player.

Further forward, Kai Havertz, Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala are all nailed on to start and are central to Nagelsmann’s plans, as he confirmed when announcing his squad.

If Goretzka operates as an attacking midfielder, Havertz would lead the line. Alternatively, Nick Woltemade could be deployed as a central striker, allowing both Havertz and Goretzka to drop slightly deeper, or Stuttgart’s Jamie Leweling could come in on the wing. In that case, Goretzka would also revert to a deeper midfield role. In both scenarios, Nmecha would miss out on the starting XI.

For now, however, the most likely setup remains Nmecha and Pavlović in a double pivot behind Goretzka, Musiala, Wirtz and Havertz.

Predicted Germany 2026 World Cup lineup:

Manuel Neuer – Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, Nico Schlotterbeck, David Raum – Aleksandar Pavlović, Felix Nmecha – Jamal Musiala, Leon Goretzka, Florian Wirtz – Kai Havertz.

Main alternatives:

Manuel Neuer – Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, Nico Schlotterbeck, David Raum – Aleksandar Pavlović, Leon Goretzka – Jamal Musiala,  Kai Havertz, Florian Wirtz – Nick Woltemade.

Manuel Neuer – Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, Nico Schlotterbeck, David Raum – Aleksandar Pavlović, Leon Goretzka – Jamie Leweling,  Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz – Kai Havertz.