Leroy Sané’s World Cup Chances: Despite Poor Form and Unmet Demands, Does He Still Have a Shot?

Julian Nagelsmann had specific expectations for Leroy Sané, which the player has struggled to meet. Nevertheless, there’s a prevailing sentiment that the Galatasaray star might still make it to the World Cup. But what truly supports this possibility?

In late August 2025, national coach Julian Nagelsmann explained his decision to omit Leroy Sané, who had recently transferred from Bayern Munich to Galatasaray, from the initial World Cup qualifiers in early September. Nagelsmann stated, «He is now playing in a league that is a notch below the Bundesliga or other top European leagues. And I think he needs to stand out more there.»

«I need a certain quota – and he hasn’t achieved that in the first three or four games,» Nagelsmann elaborated at the time. «If you’re not playing in the English, Spanish, German, French, or Italian leagues, your quota needs to be a bit better. He is being challenged.» Sané needed to «prove himself in the Turkish league, score some goals and provide assists, to then also make his way back into our squad.»

If one were to take Nagelsmann at his word now, around nine months later, a World Cup nomination for Sané shouldn’t even be a topic of discussion. While the attacking player has had his good moments and strong spells at Galatasaray, Sané’s season overall has been quite mixed, particularly when looking at the quota Nagelsmann emphasized.

He recorded a total of seven goals and nine assists in 43 competitive appearances. Decent, but not remarkably outstanding. And more recently, Sané’s performance has declined: in 2026, he only managed four scorer points, scoring just once and providing three assists. Although he was sidelined for nearly four weeks with a ligament tear in his ankle and missed two games due to suspension, this is still insufficient to make himself indispensable for a place in the German World Cup squad. Furthermore, Sané was not a consistent starter for the Turkish champions, missing out on the starting eleven in both games against Juventus in the Champions League playoffs, and spending the entire 90 minutes on the bench in the 1-0 victory in the Champions League round of 16 first leg against Liverpool.

Despite this, the trend suggests that Sané’s name will be called on Thursday when Nagelsmann announces his squad for the World Cup, which begins on June 11 in the USA, Mexico, and Canada. This is especially true as Chris Führich from VfB Stuttgart, who has been in significantly better form recently, will reportedly not be included according to Sky, and Bayern star Serge Gnabry is, as is well known, out injured.

Will Julian Nagelsmann Take Him to the World Cup? What Speaks in Favor of Leroy Sané

But what truly speaks in Sané’s favor? The simple argument that he is a difference-maker, capable of deciding a game with a moment of brilliance due to his undoubtedly outstanding potential, only holds so much water. The German national team has several other players who can also do this, most notably Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, although they operate differently to Sané. Kai Havertz can also deliver, and Führich could too. With Lennart Karl and Said El Mala, Germany has two mega-talents who are both true difference-makers and are reportedly already assured of their World Cup spots.

Sané has, of course, demonstrated his qualities at the highest level more frequently than Karl or El Mala. In addition, Sané may possess unique skills in certain aspects, such as his powerful runs from the right wing, cutting inside to finish with his left foot, a capability that perhaps no other player possesses in the same way. «We don’t have many players with his profile who often go into the center from the right wing,» Nagelsmann explained in an interview with kicker in early March, citing this as a reason why Sané has good World Cup chances. «If his health holds up, he can be a very important player for us.»

Furthermore, experience, both generally and specifically with 74 national team caps, speaks in favor of the Galatasaray star. And Nagelsmann knows Sané better than, for example, Karl or El Mala, having worked with him during their time at Bayern Munich. He knows exactly what the left-footed player can contribute to the national team on a good day.

However, that is precisely the point: on a good day, Sané is capable of anything – but in recent months, he has had very few of those good days. «To be honest: we never know 100 percent what will come onto the pitch with him,» Nagelsmann frankly admitted. After omitting Sané for the second consecutive time for the October international matches, the national coach brought the former Schalke player back in November.

He immediately placed the returning player in the starting lineup, and Sané repaid the faith with an assist in the 2-0 victory against Luxembourg. A few days later, in the crucial World Cup qualifier against Slovakia, he delivered what was arguably his best international performance in a long time. In the resounding 6-0 win in Leipzig, Sané scored twice and set up another goal.

DFB Team: Leroy Sané Was Almost a Clear Loser of the March International Matches

With his performance against the Slovaks, Sané solidified his place in the national team, and despite his club struggles, he was again a regular part of the DFB squad in the end-of-March test matches. However, in the 4-3 loss to Switzerland, Sané showed his weaker side, disappointing and having significantly less influence on the game than Bayern youngster Karl, who came on for him after just over an hour.

«Leroy knows what is required, and he must show it, and in the end, we will decide what is best for the squad,» Nagelsmann said after the match against Switzerland and before the duel with Ghana. In the 2-1 victory over the Ghanaians, he only brought Sané on for the last twelve minutes, which the former Bayern star used much better than the 63 minutes against Switzerland. Had Sané not created such a stir in the closing stages against Ghana and provided the decisive assist for the winning goal by Deniz Undav, he would have been a clear loser of the March international matches. But with the positive final impression before the World Cup nomination, he managed to save himself once more.

«He still has the option to show himself. Here and, of course, at his club. The door is not closed for anyone who isn’t there, but the door is not permanently open for those who are there; you have to constantly confirm it,» Nagelsmann stated, putting Sané on notice. In the final phase of the season, he could hardly do any self-promotion, yet he still demonstrated a quality that is very important to the national coach.

Even when he was on the bench at times, Sané did not complain at Galatasaray. He is popular with both fans and teammates alike, and was recently celebrated for his dance moves at the championship ceremony a few days ago. In early April, Galatasaray’s vice-president Abdullah Kavukcu expressed his surprise to Sport Bild at how Sané is often viewed critically in Germany, with his seemingly phlegmatic demeanor being perceived negatively. «We cannot confirm the prejudices at all. The Leroy we experience here is a completely different person. He has a good relationship with everyone, tells jokes, helps the younger players in training, but also as a person. We actually laugh with him all the time,» praised Kavukcu.

Sané also enjoys a very good standing within the national team, is established, and has a good rapport with many. This is also an important criterion for Nagelsmann, who also knows precisely what he can expect from Sané in terms of accepting a certain role. He can rely on Sané’s qualities as a substitute who can turn a game in a different direction without any concerns about him complaining about his bench place. Not least during the group stage of Euro 2024 at home, Sané fully embraced this role.

«It’s the biggest stage in football, everyone wants to be there,» Sané recently emphasized in an interview with the Turkish news agency DHA, highlighting how much a World Cup nomination would mean to him.

Leroy Sané Has Only Played Two World Cup Games

What could be held against Sané is his virtually non-existent track record at major tournaments so far. World Cups, in particular, and Sané have, until now, been a surprisingly barren affair for a player of his quality at 30 years old. In the 2018 World Cup, then-national coach Joachim Löw surprisingly didn’t select him, even though Sané had a magnificent season at Manchester City, scoring ten goals and providing 15 assists, and was named the best U23 player in the Premier League.

Four years later in Qatar, Sané was indeed part of the squad but went into the tournament with knee problems and missed the opening match against Japan. Thus, Sané only made his World Cup debut in the second group game against Spain on November 27, 2022, and he was first in a World Cup starting lineup a few days later, at the end of the preliminary round. As is well known, it remained the only time to date that Germany was eliminated despite a 4-2 victory over Costa Rica, which included an assist from Sané.

«I would be very happy to participate in another World Cup towards the end of my career,» said Sané, who would love to finally shine on the biggest possible stage. Especially since this could be his last chance, as he will be 34 by the 2030 World Cup, an advanced age in football.

«Since Leroy has been with us, he has only talked about the World Cup,» Galatasaray’s vice-president Kavukcu also confirmed how much the upcoming highlight means to the German international. And Kavukcu also had a clear demand for Nagelsmann: «He (Sané, editorial note) must be a starter at the World Cup.» The latest impressions clearly speak against this.

Is Leroy Sané Going to the World Cup? His Tournament Record So Far