Germany coach Jurgen Klopp named a 44-man squad for his first camp since the summer, giving 16 players their first call-ups.
For each match, teams may name only 20 outfield players and three goalkeepers, yet the former Liverpool manager opted for the unusual move of selecting a bigger squad.
For Germany’s four upcoming Nations League fixtures, Klopp has divided the group into two separate squads.
The first group will be available for the fixtures against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on September 24 and at home to Greece three days later in Augsburg.
The second group will be available for Germany’s matches against Serbia in Munich on October 1 and Greece in Thessaloniki on October 4.
“It’s very unusual that 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 was appointed as the replacement for Julian Nagelsmann in July after the four-time World Cup winners were eliminated at the last-32 stage of the 2026 World Cup, their third successive early exit from the tournament.
“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.”
Leroy Sane, Deniz Undav, Leon Goretzka, and goalkeeper Oliver Baumann were not called, while veterans Manuel Neuer and Antonio Rudiger have since retired from international football.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be Germany’s number one option in goal. Klopp stated that the 2015 Champions League winner was the preferred option “for the moment.”
After a gruelling spell of injuries that limited him to only 12 competitive appearances over the past two years, Ter Stegen departed Barcelona for Ajax on a season-long loan during the summer.
Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich, the squad’s most seasoned player with 114 caps, has kept hold of the captain’s armband.
The 31-year-old is expected to shift from right-back into central midfield, the position he occupies at club level.
Undav, one of the few positives for Germany at the World Cup, has been left out. German media reported that the former Brighton forward will be granted time off to recover from an Achilles tendon injury.
The 16 possible debutants include Eintracht Frankfurt’s Younes Ebnoutalib, who was playing in the second division just a season ago, as well as Stuttgart defender Finn Jeltsch, Brentford midfielder Vitaly Janelt, and Celtic midfielder Mika Baur.
