Germany's 2026 World Cup squad built on African roots
Most of the news about Germany's World Cup squad was around the return of Manuel Neuer. But beyond the headlines lies another story.
Eight of the 26 players representing Germany this summer have roots in Africa: Jonathan Tah (Ivorian father), Antonio Rüdiger (Sierra Leonean mother), Leroy Sane (Senegalese father), Felix Nmecha and Jamal Musiala (both Nigerian fathers), Assan Ouedraogo (both parents from Burkina Faso), Malick Thiaw (Senegalese father) and Jamie Leweling (Ghanaian father).
In fact, if you look at the last year of Germany's squad selections, there have been a total of 17 players with African roots called up. The connection Germany's footballers have with African countries is inescapable and of great importance at the 2026 World Cup.
"Today we have great diversity in the team, which symbolizes a new generation of German players," Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly, told DW. "That wasn't always the case," Baerbock added. "That shows how important anti-racism campaigns are. A team is also always a reflection of society."
Diversity important in time of division
Musa Okwonga, a Ugandan-British author and football podcaster who has lived in Berlin for over a decade, believes the timing of this team's diversity is significant.
"With the far right leading some major polls in Germany by five, six, seven points, I think it's really important at this point in time, when a quarter of immigrants who arrived in Germany are thinking about leaving again, to show there are people here who are thriving within this country, who are not white, who have a heritage from elsewhere, who grew up here, who moved here, and made Germany their home," Okwonga told DW.
The German FA (DFB) hasn't explicitly gone out of its way to highlight the diversity of this team, but does recognize its significance.
"At the end of the day, everyone is united to make a decision by conviction and less to do with picking the place where more sporting success is likely," DFB Director Andreas Rettig told DW.
"We were happy to see an early commitment to the Germany team, and that left an impression on us," said Rettig, referencing the example of Jonathan Tah.
"We know it from the economy, mixed teams with men and women or different nationalities, young or old, is always advantageous to the end product so we are happy to have this diversity in the team," added Rettig.
In early 2025, Tah visited Ivory Coast for the first time since he was 14, explaining in an interview with DW that the trip was "extremely grounding." Rüdiger has also set up a foundation in Sierra Leone.
"Going back to a place where you have benefited from the Western European colonial extraction, and you're going back to see relatives of yours who only two generations ago, you were with and would have been around, that's hard for a lot of people," said Okwonga.
Given Germany has colonial historical roots in Namibia, Tanzania, Cameroon and Togo to name but a few, it is clear why connecting to both one's country of origin and one's new home comes with conflicting and complicated emotions. Okwonga believes, though, that the visibility of footballers with African roots who are also equally proud of having Germany as their home is an important symbol.
Impact beyond football
In the buildup to Euro 2024, Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann called out a survey by German public broadcaster WDR that revealed 21% of those asked wanted more white players on the national team.
"A football team can be a role model of how to unite different cultures, religious backgrounds and skin color. It is good the way it is now. We play the Euros for everyone in the country, and whoever plays top football is invited to be a national team member," said Nagelsmann.
His bullish stance on non-football matters was noteworthy because the symbolic value and influence of the German team and football as a whole are widespread.
"In the 12 years of being here, the team I saw at the Euros was the best version of a Germany team. In terms of the football they played, how they worked together, how they supported each other. It's everything you'd want from a football team, a collective, a community," said Okwonga, who also said Vincent Kompany being Bayern Munich head coach has also positively impacted the environment for German players with African roots.
Clearly, a lot has changed since Gerald Asamoah became the first African-born German to appear in a World Cup in 2006. But the issue remains, as incidents such as the one in 2023 proved when two Germany youth internationals with African roots were inundated with racist comments on social media after missing penalties. Systemic issues can be improved by policies, not the actions or words of a football team, but that doesn't make their symbolism any less significant.
"I think this is actually the diversity of this team is not really about the people who hate to see it. It's about modeling the fact that friendship across all groups is entirely possible," Okwonga said. "If they don't win, it's not because the multi-ethnic project was a failure. It's because they got beaten by a better team."
What would a Germany World Cup win mean?
The German national team is certainly not the favorite for the World Cup this year, but were it to win, there is an obvious temptation to consider the social and political impact on the country. Could it bring the joy we saw in 2014 or even 2006 when Germany hosted a tournament and enjoyed a "summer fairy tale" despite not winning it?
"If Germany wins the World Cup, it's primarily a triumph for this group of players and the supporters that were behind them. I don't think it is a point of political leverage in a progressive sense, because I think too many other things are going wrong in Germany at the moment," Okwonga explained.
"I think that success in the football field from a diverse team can be a catalyst in the right political context. I do not, unfortunately, believe this is the right context."
With or without the right context, the diverse heritage of this Germany team requires recognition.
Edited by: Chuck Penfold
