Klopp Unveils 44-Man Germany Squad With 16 New Faces

Ranti Thomas 60 minutes ago 2 min read

Jurgen Klopp has begun his Germany tenure with an unusually large squad, naming 44 players for the national team’s next four UEFA Nations League matches.

The former Liverpool manager split the players into two groups as he prepares for his first competitive fixtures since taking charge of the German national team. The first group will face the Netherlands in Amsterdam on September 24 before meeting Greece in Augsburg three days later.

The second group will take over for Germany’s October fixtures against Serbia in Munich on October 1 and Greece in Thessaloniki on October 4. Klopp’s plan means that a large portion of the first group will return to their clubs after the September matches before the second set of players comes in.

The 44-man selection includes 16 players who could make their senior international debuts. Among the newcomers are Mika Baur of Celtic, Felix Keidel of Elversberg, Younes Ebnoutalib of Eintracht Frankfurt, Finn Jeltsch of Stuttgart and several Freiburg players.

Klopp has also retained several established figures, including captain Joshua Kimmich, goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and attacking stars such as Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz. Nico Schlotterbeck also returns after recovering from an ankle injury that kept him out for more than two months.

One of the biggest talking points from the selection is the absence of Leroy Sané and Deniz Undav. Despite the expanded squad, Klopp opted not to include either player in his first call-up since taking over from Julian Nagelsmann.

The size of the squad is particularly striking because teams can only name 23 players for each match. Klopp explained that the unusual arrangement allows him to manage the workload across four matches while giving a wider group of players an opportunity to work within his system.

The selection also gives Klopp an early chance to assess players who were not part of Germany’s established group before his arrival. Sixteen of the selected players have no previous senior international appearance, making the September and October fixtures an important opportunity for them to push for places in the national team.

Klopp took over after Germany’s early exit from the 2026 World Cup, replacing Nagelsmann as the country begins preparations for the next stage of its international programme. His first squad therefore combines experienced players with several less-established names as he starts shaping the team in his own way.

The four Nations League matches will provide Klopp with his first competitive test as Germany coach and give him an opportunity to assess a broad pool of players before he settles on a more regular squad.