Manuel Neuer’s Germany World Cup squad inclusion has come after his decent form in the recently concluded season for Bayern Munich.
The German shot-stopper won the Bundesliga title with Bayern and also managed to reach the UEFA Champions League semi-final before losing narrowly to Paris Saint-Germain, the eventual champions.
Manuel Neuer’s Germany World Cup squad inclusion means that Julian Nagelsmann has kept enough faith in the 40-year-old German goalkeeper. It, however, remains to be seen whether Neuer manages to make it into the starting XI.
Manuel Neuer’s Germany World Cup Squad Inclusion: Coming Out Of International Retirement
Neuer announced his retirement from international football in 2024, but has now come back into reckoning for the Die Mannschaft. The German shot-stopper has earned 124 international caps for them, and he has also won the World Cup with Germany in 2014.
Neuer finished third with Germany in the World Cup 2010, which was also his first World Cup as a player. In 2026, Manuel Neuer’s Germany World Cup squad inclusion means that he is going to feature in his fifth World Cup, becoming only the second German player to achieve that feat after the legendary Lothar Matthäus.
Neuer played a key role in Germany’s World Cup triumph in 2014 and was unlucky to miss out on the Golden Ball in that tournament. He has also won two Champions League titles with Bayern Munich, besides coming close to winning that title on a number of other occasions.
Manuel Neuer’s Germany World Cup squad inclusion means that the Germans will be able to gain from his wealth of experience as a footballer. However, his reflexes have suffered because of age, and he is no longer the shot-stopper he used to be a decade ago.
Still, with the relatively inexperienced Oliver Baumann, who has played in only 12 international matches so far in his career, as his chief competitor for the place of the number one goalkeeper for the Germans, Neuer might actually get an opportunity to feature in between the sticks for the four-time World champions.
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Manuel Neuer’s Germany World Cup Squad Inclusion: The 40-Year-Old’s Solid Season For Bayern Munich
Neuer featured in 37 matches for Bayern Munich in the 2025/26 season, which is a lot at his age. Overall, he has played in almost 600 matches for the Bavarians so far in his 15 seasons with them, which makes him one of the most experienced players in the history of the club.
It remains to be seen whether Manuel Neuer’s Germany World Cup squad inclusion means he can add to his international cap count. The German record of international appearances belongs to Matthaus, who played in 150 matches for Die Mannschaft in his illustrious career.
Neuer is still short of that milestone by some margin and might not be able to break that record. However, by featuring in his fifth World Cup, Neuer will be able to draw level with Matthaus’ wonderful record for the tournament.
Hence, Manuel Neuer’s Germany World Cup squad inclusion should be viewed as a positive for Nagelsmann’s team in the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada, as his wealth of experience between the sticks should guide the Germans into the knockout stages of this summer’s World Cup.
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Credit: IMAGO / Schüler
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