Klopp calls up 16 uncapped players in 44-man Germany squad

Jürgen Klopp's first Germany squad is reported to include 16 uncapped players in a group of 44, named for his first four Nations League matches in charge as he rebuilds the national team after another disappointing World Cup. Players in the camp have described the former LiverpoolLiverpoolPremier League · England5th POS17–9–12 W-D-L manager as special ahead of his first match in charge.

2025/26

---

POS

5th

W-D-L

17–9–12

GF

63

GA

53

Season 2025/26

Why the Germany squad is so large

A group of 44 is unusually big for an international window, and the number of first-time call-ups is the substance of it. A coach seeking continuity would have kept the pool tight and added two or three new faces. Klopp has gone the other way, opening the door to more than a dozen players who have not yet won a cap for Germany.

The scale of the selection reflects the job he has taken on. Germany's latest World Cup ended in disappointment, and the response has been a broad reset rather than a narrow fix. Sixteen uncapped players in one squad suggests the new coach regards the depth of the problem as an opportunity as much as a risk.

There is a trade-off. A wider pool creates competition for places and reduces the reliance on players who have not delivered at tournaments. It also means a large and unfamiliar group with only a few days together, which can produce a disjointed first performance and make the rebuild look slower than it is.

Klopp's first fixtures in charge

Ank kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0

The 44 players have been named for four Nations League matches, which will be Klopp's first games in charge of Germany. The opponents, dates and venues for those fixtures have not been set out, so the level of the immediate test is not yet clear.

Reaction from inside the camp has been warm, with Klopp described as special by the players around him. Praise of that kind is easy before a ball is kicked. The four fixtures will show whether it survives contact with competitive football, and whether the new faces are trusted with meaningful minutes rather than treated as training-ground depth.

What is not yet known

Ank kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0

• Which teams Germany face in the four Nations League matches, and where and when those games are played.
• Whether all 44 players stay with the group through the window or the squad is trimmed before each match.
• How many of the 16 uncapped players will make a matchday squad, and how many will start.
• Whether the first-time call-ups are a one-off look at the pool or the start of a lasting shift in selection.

What happens next

The first of the four fixtures will give the earliest real evidence of whether the reset is working. The Nations League is a competitive competition rather than a friendly window, so the new cap-takers will be judged on results as well as on how they train. The smaller squad Klopp names for the following window will show how much of this group of 44 he intends to keep.