El Mala set for spot in Germany's World Cup squad with Füllkrug snubbed | OneFootball

As reported by the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, 1.FC Köln talent Said El Mala has received the long-awaited call from Julian Nagelsmann.

In the call with the German coach, El Mala has reportedly been nominated for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada. 

As the local newspaper further reports, the rising star was one of the first to be informed of his nomination by the 38-year-old.

El Mala's selection comes as quite a surprise given he had previously been called up by Nagelsmann but had yet to feature in a game. 

Therefore, the Köln native could make his German debut for the senior team during the immediate World Cup preparations.

BILD has now also confirmed the report from the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and El Mala's name will be announced by Nagelsmann on Thursday.

Meanwhile, according to Sky Germany, Niclas Füllkrug will be one of the unfortunate names to miss out on next month's tournament.

Despite scoring 14 goals in 24 games for Germany, it appears Nagelsmann would like to prioritise other options instead. 

Kai Havertz, Deniz Undav and Nick Woltemade are definitely included, but there could be one spot made available for a fourth striker yet.