Nagelsmann's Bold Squad Decisions Revealed: Head Coach Follows Through on His Word

For the upcoming national team training camp, Julian Nagelsmann has opted to exclude three high-profile Bundesliga players from his roster, demonstrating a decisive approach to squad selection.

The national coach has chosen not to call up Said El Mala (1. FC Köln), Angelo Stiller (VfB Stuttgart), and Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund), leaving them out of the senior team.

Said El Mala will instead join the U21 squad for their European Championship qualification matches against Northern Ireland (March 27) and Greece (March 31). However, the 19-year-old rising star is reportedly on standby, meaning a late call-up is possible if injuries occur in the senior squad.

The attacking player was part of the A-national team squad for the first time in the previous November camp but did not feature, and as previously agreed, was sent to the U21 team for the second game. Despite his continued strong performances, which might lead to a Premier League move in the summer, El Mala had been considered a strong candidate until recently. With 13 goal contributions (nine goals, four assists) in 26 Bundesliga games – some as a substitute – he is a crucial player for Cologne in their relegation battle.

Nevertheless, Nagelsmann had also critically commented on El Mala in a much-discussed interview. "It's different whether you're at Bayern or at Köln. He simply needs to get more playing time at Köln," Nagelsmann clarified. "And this statement is not directed at Lukas Kwasniok, because I've come to know him as a coach who observes exactly what he needs for his game, also defensively. Said must demand to be a regular starter at Köln and always play. But he plays 50 percent, which is too little. And that's not the coach's fault, as one often thinks, but it's up to him how consistently he works defensively."

Stiller's Exclusion Was Hinted At – Beier Recently in Top Form

Angelo Stiller, on the other hand, was also omitted in November. His exclusion then caused considerable misunderstanding among Stuttgart fans. However, the non-nomination of the key VfB player had already been hinted at in Nagelsmann's interview, when he seemingly granted Leon Goretzka (FC Bayern Munich) a sort of starting spot guarantee and noted his desire for another type of player with offensive qualities in midfield. He also announced controversial decisions against club regulars – Stiller appears to be one of them.

Maximilian Beier was also not part of the year-end squad. However, unlike Stiller (who had one appearance), Beier featured three times in World Cup qualifiers. The 23-year-old attacker had only recently secured a regular starting spot at Borussia Dortmund and is currently in excellent form. In his last twelve Bundesliga games, he scored five goals and provided four assists, also contributing a goal in the playoff first leg against Atalanta Bergamo (2-0).

March Squad to "Very Closely Resemble" World Cup Roster

Consequently, at least Beier and Stiller are likely to have poor chances of being part of the World Cup squad this summer. Nagelsmann emphasized that the roster for the matches against Switzerland and Ghana will "very closely resemble" the final World Cup squad. Meanwhile, Bayern youngsters Jonas Urbig (22) and Lennart Karl (18) can prepare for a shorter summer vacation, as their nominations were already leaked on Wednesday.

Furthermore, Stiller's teammate Jamie Leweling, Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), and Nick Woltemade (Newcastle United) have once again made it into the March squad. Nagelsmann has reportedly opted to leave out the currently injured Jamal Musiala as a precaution, in consultation with FC Bayern Munich.

Also new to the squad are Anton Stach (Leeds United), Pascal Groß (Brighton & Hove Albion), Deniz Undav (VfB Stuttgart), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), Kai Havertz (FC Arsenal), and Josha Vagnoman (VfB Stuttgart).

DFB Team, Fixtures: Upcoming Matches for the German National Team

Date	Competition	Match
Friday, March 27, 8:45 PM	Friendly	Switzerland vs. Germany
Monday, March 30, 8:45 PM	Friendly	Germany vs. Ghana
Sunday, May 31, 8:45 PM	Friendly	Germany vs. Finland
Saturday, June 6, 8:30 PM	Friendly	USA vs. Germany
Sunday, June 14, 7:00 PM	2026 World Cup	Germany vs. Curacao
Saturday, June 20, 10:00 PM	2026 World Cup	Germany vs. Ivory Coast
Thursday, June 25, 10:00 PM	2026 World Cup	Germany vs. Ecuador