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Once celebrated by supporters, Julian Nagelsmann now finds himself on the sidelines, with reports suggesting he will be left out of the World Cup squad — a major blow for fans and the double-winning coach alike.

Niclas Füllkrug, the AC Milan forward, will also have to abandon his dream of playing in the 2026 World Cup.

According to Sky and Bild, Füllkrug will miss the finals in the USA, Mexico and Canada after being excluded from Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann’s list. Reports indicate that Nagelsmann, set to reveal his squad on Thursday, has already called Füllkrug personally to inform him of the decision. Despite a disappointing season, the 33-year-old had held onto hope until the end, believing his aerial prowess might secure him a spot in the squad.

However, his recent struggles at club level have worked against him. Following a difficult, injury-plagued period at West Ham United, he joined Milan on loan in January aiming to regain his form and catch Nagelsmann’s attention. That plan did not succeed — he has failed to establish himself as a regular starter and has scored only once in 19 Serie A appearances so far.

A late bloomer, Füllkrug made his debut for the German national team just before the 2022 World Cup at age 29 and was one of the few positives in Germany’s early exit in Qatar. With ten goals in his first twelve international appearances, he quickly became a fan favourite, adding two more goals during his five substitute appearances at the 2024 European Championship hosted in Germany.

Since then, he has earned only three more caps, his last goal coming in Germany’s 5–0 Nations League victory over Hungary in September 2024. Injuries sidelined him during the World Cup qualifiers, and his poor form saw him omitted from the March friendlies against Switzerland (4–3) and Ghana (2–1).

As it stands, both Niclas Füllkrug and Yann Bisseck are expected to miss the World Cup.

It remains uncertain whether Nagelsmann will include a striker of Füllkrug’s profile in the final squad. Tim Kleindienst of Borussia Mönchengladbach appears to be the closest alternative, but the 30-year-old missed nearly the entire Bundesliga season due to a serious knee injury, managing only ten minutes of play.

Deniz Undav (VfB Stuttgart), Kai Havertz (Arsenal) and Nick Woltemade (Newcastle United) already seem assured of their World Cup spots. As a potential surprise choice, Nagelsmann might consider calling up Nicolo Tresoldi from Club Brugge for the first time.

In addition, another prominent hopeful could face disappointment. As reported by Sport1, Nagelsmann has decided not to include Inter Milan’s centre-back Yann Bisseck. Although the 25-year-old has not featured for Germany since his debut in March 2025, he enjoyed an impressive season with Inter, helping the club secure a domestic double of league and cup titles.

Instead, Nagelsmann may look to recall Matthias Ginter. The 32-year-old, last part of the national squad in June 2023, has been in fine form at SC Freiburg and could compete with Newcastle United’s Malick Thiaw for the fifth centre-back position. Nagelsmann is expected to travel to Istanbul on Wednesday to watch Ginter in action during the Europa League final between Freiburg and Aston Villa.

The first four central defensive slots are likely to be filled by Jonathan Tah (FC Bayern), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid) and Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund).

Niclas Füllkrug’s record for the German national team

Appearances: 24

Goals: 14

International debut: 16 November 2022 (1–0 vs. Oman, friendly)

Tournaments: 2022 World Cup (3 matches, 2 goals), 2024 European Championship (5 matches, 2 goals)

Most recent international appearance: 8 June 2025 (0–2 vs. France, Nations League)