Jurgen Klopp Names 44-Man Germany Squad With 16 Potential Debutants

Jurgen Klopp has named a 44-man Germany squad for his first international camp as head coach, handing 16 players their first call-ups as he begins reshaping the four-time world champions.

Jurgen Klopp announced the squad on Thursday ahead of Germany’s four Nations League fixtures against the Netherlands, Greece and Serbia.

The former Liverpool manager has divided the players into two groups, with the first squad facing the Netherlands in Amsterdam on September 24 before hosting Greece in Augsburg three days later.

The second group will face Serbia in Munich on October 1 before travelling to Thessaloniki for another meeting with Greece on October 4.

Teams can name only 20 outfield players and three goalkeepers for each match, but Klopp opted for a larger squad to assess as many players as possible during the busy international period.

“Unusually, you’ve got four games in two weeks with the national team,” Klopp said at a press conference in Frankfurt.

“I want to get to know as many players as possible in that time… It’s not an A-team and a B-team, but the two squads have been created in a way that each fits well together.”

Klopp replaced Julian Nagelsmann in July after Germany suffered another early World Cup exit. The 2026 tournament marked their third consecutive elimination at the last-32 stage.

The new coach said he wants to build a squad capable of competing over the next several years rather than focusing solely on the upcoming Nations League matches.

“It really felt like you had the feeling after the World Cup that German football is on its knees and we have no talents, no footballers,” Klopp said.

“In the past four weeks, as we’ve been looking closely, plenty of talents have caught our eye.

“It’s a squad for two or three years from now, not just for the next four international games.”

Among the 16 potential debutants are Eintracht Frankfurt forward Younes Ebnoutalib, Stuttgart defender Finn Jeltsch, Brentford midfielder Vitaly Janelt and Celtic midfielder Mika Baur.

Klopp has left out Leroy Sané, Deniz Undav, Leon Goretzka and goalkeeper Oliver Baumann. Undav, who impressed at the World Cup, reportedly needs time to recover from an Achilles tendon injury.

Manuel Neuer and Antonio Rudiger have also retired from international football and are no longer part of the squad.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen will start as Klopp’s preferred goalkeeper “for the moment”. The Barcelona goalkeeper joined Ajax on a season-long loan in the summer after injuries limited him to 12 competitive appearances over the previous two years.

Joshua Kimmich remains Germany’s captain and enters the camp as the squad’s most experienced player with 114 caps. The Bayern Munich midfielder is expected to move from right-back into central midfield, where he also plays at club level.

Klopp believes the newcomers can play an important role in Germany’s long-term plans.

“There are a couple of lads here who will surprise you, that’s clear, but we saw something in the lads, plenty of potential, and we want to be part of their development,” he said.