Jurgen Klopp has begun his tenure as Germany coach with a major shake-up, naming 16 potential international debutants in a 44-man squad for the team’s upcoming Nations League fixtures.
The former Liverpool manager, appointed in July following Julian Nagelsmann’s departure, divided the players into two groups to cover Germany’s four matches against the Netherlands, Greece and Serbia.
The first group will face the Netherlands in Amsterdam on September 24 before taking on Greece in Augsburg three days later. The second selection will be available for the matches against Serbia in Munich on October 1 and Greece in Thessaloniki on October 4.
Klopp’s decision to name 44 players is unusual, as teams are normally limited to 20 outfield players and three goalkeepers for individual matches.
Several established players have been left out of the first squad. Leroy Sane, Deniz Undav, Leon Goretzka and goalkeeper Oliver Baumann were omitted, while veterans Manuel Neuer and Antonio Rudiger have retired from international football.
Undav, who was one of Germany’s stronger performers at the 2026 World Cup, is reportedly being given time to recover from an Achilles tendon injury.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen is set to take over as Germany’s first-choice goalkeeper. The Barcelona goalkeeper joined Ajax on a season-long loan during the summer after injuries limited him to only 12 competitive appearances over the previous two years.
Joshua Kimmich, Germany’s most experienced player with 114 caps, will continue as captain. Klopp also plans to move the Bayern Munich midfielder from his familiar right-back role into central midfield, where he operates for his club.
Among the newcomers are Eintracht Frankfurt forward Younes Ebnoutalib, who played in Germany’s second division last season, Stuttgart defender Finn Jeltsch, Brentford midfielder Vitaly Janelt and Celtic midfielder Mika Baur.
The squad overhaul comes after Germany suffered another disappointing World Cup campaign. The four-time world champions were eliminated at the last-32 stage in 2026, marking their third consecutive early exit from the tournament.
Klopp was appointed to replace Nagelsmann in July and now faces the task of rebuilding the national team ahead of the next cycle.
For the September fixtures, the squad includes ter Stegen, Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Serge Gnabry, alongside several less experienced players.
The October group features Florian Wirtz, Jonathan Burkardt, Nick Woltemade, Aleksander Pavlovic and several of the players hoping to make their Germany debuts.
The expanded selection gives Klopp an early opportunity to assess a broad pool of players as he begins preparations for Germany’s next competitive campaign.
