World Cup: German coach Nagelsmann confirms Neuer’s return for Curacao match

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann confirmed on Saturday that veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will start Sunday’s World Cup regular season match against Curacao, marking the 40-year-old’s return to international football after nearly two years.

“All the players are fit and Manu will start,” Nagelsmann said at his pre-match press conference ahead of the start of the German tournament in Houston.

The match will be Neuer’s first appearance for Germany since their Euro 2024 quarter-final defeat to Spain. The goalkeeper retired from international football after that tournament, but Nagelsmann brought him back into the national team after an impressive season with Bayern Munich.

Neuer played a key role in Bayern’s Bundesliga-winning campaign, helping the German giants reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League and convincing Nagelsmann that the veteran goalkeeper still has a role to play at the highest level.

The 2014 World Cup winner has earned 124 caps for Germany since his international debut in 2009 and is set to make his fifth World Cup appearance. During his international career, Neuer represented Germany at the 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 World Cups as well as the 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024 European Championships.

Neuer’s return comes after overcoming a calf injury in preparation for the tournament. The goalkeeper missed Germany’s 4-0 friendly win over Finland and the subsequent 2-0 win against the United States as he continued his recovery.

The Bayern captain enjoyed another strong club season in 2025-26, conceding 40 goals and keeping 11 clean sheets in 37 appearances in all competitions.

While Germany go into Sunday’s match as overwhelming favourites, Nagelsmann warned against underestimating Curacao, who are making their World Cup debut.

“This is the German Cup situation. David versus Goliath,” Nagelsmann said.

The German coach stressed that Curacao’s players will arrive with little pressure and a lot of motivation, making them a potentially dangerous opponent despite their differences in pedigree and experience.

“All Curacao players are well trained and can go into the tournament without pressure. This makes the opponent always dangerous,” said Nagelsmann.

“You never win a match just because you are favourites. We will only win the match if we put in a perfect performance.”

“We will try to show our best level.”

Germany have been drawn alongside Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador in the group stage as they look to add a fifth World Cup title to their triumphs in 1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014.

Co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19. Germany open their campaign hoping to improve on recent World Cup disappointments and mount a serious challenge for the trophy under Nagelsmann.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

June 14, 2026 1:40 PM IST