Present at 20 of the 22 World Cups held 1930–2022 (missed only 1930, entered for economic reasons, and 1950, barred after the war) — 2026 is its 21st. West Germany and Germany counted as one record.
The creative axis of the team and Germany's record signing for Liverpool — a 22-year-old playmaker making his long-awaited World Cup debut. The one to set an alarm for.
Played a record five World Cups for Germany; captained the 1990 winners and was 1990 World Player of the Year
Also the all-time leading scorer in World Cup finals history with 16 goals across four tournaments
⚠ The most-used eleven in recent matches under Julian Nagelsmann (June 2026) — a snapshot of recent form, never a forecast.
| PLAYER | POS | ERA | CAPS | GLS | FILE NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franz Beckenbauer #5 | SW | 1965–1977 | 103 | 14 | Der Kaiser. Invented the modern sweeper, then won the World Cup as captain (1974) and again as manager (1990). |
| Gerd Müller #13 | FW | 1966–1974 | 62 | 68 | Der Bomber. 68 goals in 62 games and the winner in the 1974 final — a penalty-box assassin without equal. |
| Lothar Matthäus #10 | MF | 1980–2000 | 150 | 23 | Record caps, five World Cups, and the engine of the 1990 champions. He simply would not stop. |
| Miroslav Klose #11 | FW | 2001–2014 | 137 | 71 | Germany's record scorer and the World Cup's all-time top marksman — 16 goals, four tournaments, one front somersault. |
| Fritz Walter #8 | FW | 1940–1958 | 61 | 33 | Captain of the 1954 'Miracle of Bern' — the rain-soaked win that, some say, rebuilt a nation's spirit. |
| Paul Breitner #3 | DF | 1971–1982 | 48 | 10 | Scored in two World Cup finals (1974, 1982) — one of only a handful of men ever to do so. |
| Karl-Heinz Rummenigge #11 | FW | 1976–1986 | 95 | 45 | Twice European Footballer of the Year; dragged West Germany to two finals in the 1980s. |
| Jürgen Klinsmann #18 | FW | 1987–1998 | 108 | 47 | 1990 winner and tireless poacher — later the manager who relaunched Germany at its own 2006 party. |
| Bastian Schweinsteiger #7 | MF | 2004–2016 | 121 | 24 | Played the 2014 final with a bloodied face and would not leave the pitch. Man of that match, and that era. |
| Sepp Maier #1 | GK | 1966–1979 | 95 | 0 | Die Katze von Anzing. The gloves behind the 1972 and 1974 triumphs, and oversized shorts to match. |
Four stars, four lost finals, and a reputation for arriving when it matters — Germany are the tournament's great machine, ruthless at the death and allergic to losing on penalties. The 2018 and 2022 group exits dented the myth; the archive suspects the myth is merely reloading. Efficiency, with feeling.