RE: Project WC2026 — DFB GmbH Workforce Realignment Notice
📧 J. Nagelsmann, Head Coach & CEO, DFB GmbH, confirms 26 positions for Project WC2026 after 62 individual calls. M. Neuer has rejoined the organization after a 2-year sabbatical. O. Baumann's First-Choice designation has been rescinded. Please locate your name. Counseling resources available in the footer.
FROM: j.nagelsmann@dfb-gmbh.de
TO: all-staff@dfb-gmbh.de
CC: hr@dfb-gmbh.de; legal@dfb-gmbh.de
DATE: May 21, 2026
SUBJECT: RE: Project WC2026 — Global Workforce Realignment & Position Confirmations
Please read this communication in full. HR has been notified. Counseling resources are available in the footer.
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A message from Julian Nagelsmann, Head Coach & Chief Executive Officer, DFB GmbH
Team,
As you know, over the past several weeks I have personally conducted 62 individual calls with members of this organization. I want to be clear: this was not enjoyable. It was, however, necessary. Following a rigorous performance review process, we have completed our workforce planning for the Project WC2026 engagement in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
I am pleased to confirm that 26 positions have been retained. I am less pleased — though professionally committed — to inform a number of high-performing contributors that their services will not be required for this particular deployment.
A full position list follows. Please take a moment to locate your name. Take as many moments as you need.
"When selecting a team, you try to nominate the greatest number of top players." 1
I stand by this statement.
Warm regards,
Julian Nagelsmann
Head Coach & CEO, DFB GmbH
SECTION I: Goalkeeper Operations
RETAINED — Special Re-Engagement Notice
Manuel Neuer | Senior Director, Shot-Stopping | Bayern Munich (Internal Transfer)
Role: First-Choice Goalkeeper (First-Choice)
Mr. Neuer submitted his letter of resignation from international duty effective July 2024, citing personal readiness and the conclusion of Euro 2024. He has now accepted a re-engagement contract.
To be transparent: Mr. Neuer publicly stated, "I feel very well physically and, of course, the 2026 World Cup would have also appealed to me. And yet I came to the decision that now is exactly the right time to end my chapter in the national team." 2 The World Cup continued to appeal.
Mr. Neuer joins us at age 40 having logged his 124th international appearance. He was a member of the 2014 championship cohort. His recent performance data — including a Bundesliga title and Champions League semifinal run with FC Bayern — satisfied the re-engagement threshold.
"We're planning with him as our No. 1," this office has confirmed. "The decision has been made — and for me, it's the right one." 1
RETAINED — Revised Role
Oliver Baumann | Goalkeeper, Hoffenheim
Role: Senior Backup, Goalkeeper Operations
Mr. Baumann served as Acting First-Choice Goalkeeper throughout the entirety of Project WC2026 Qualification, starting every qualifying match and recording four consecutive clean sheets in the final four fixtures. 2 His contribution is acknowledged.
Upon Mr. Neuer's return, Mr. Baumann's title has been reclassified. He retains employment. He does not retain the title. This was communicated via the aforementioned personal call, though internal reports suggest Mr. Baumann's understanding of his employment status differed from ours as recently as the week of announcement. Per his own statement: "That was my position — or is my position."
It is noted that the ambiguity in that sentence does a great deal of work.
RETAINED
Alexander Nübel | Goalkeeper, Stuttgart (loan from FC Bayern)
Role: Third-Choice Goalkeeper; also, quietly relieved
SECTION II: Defensive Operations (Retained Personnel)
| Name | Club | Operational Role |
|---|---|---|
| Joshua Kimmich | FC Bayern Munich | Team Captain; Right-Back; 108 international appearances; third World Cup; has not stopped smiling since the call |
| Antonio Rüdiger | Real Madrid | Senior Defender; injury-disrupted season noted; leadership value retained |
| Jonathan Tah | FC Bayern Munich | Centre-Back; recently transferred; paperwork still processing |
| Nico Schlotterbeck | Borussia Dortmund | Centre-Back; preferred left-footed CB option; starting berth secured |
| David Raum | RB Leipzig | Left-Back; "like chewing gum in the group" per CEO Nagelsmann 3; now also club captain at Leipzig; career trajectory: upward |
| Nathaniel Brown | Eintracht Frankfurt | Right-Back cover; fine season; waiting in the wings as documented 3 |
| Waldemar Anton | Borussia Dortmund | Centre-Back depth; position secured |
| Malick Thiaw | Newcastle United | Centre-Back; covered by Premier League transfer |
| Joshua Kimmich also listed above | — | Please see above |
Additionally, the following employees hold positions classifiable as either defensive or midfield depending on deployment context. Management has chosen not to resolve this ambiguity formally:
- Pascal Groß (Brighton) — likely right-back cover for Mr. Kimmich; possibly central midfield; Brighton contract expires soon; role: "versatile"
- Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund) — recently returned from injury; deployment TBD
- Aleksandar Pavlović (FC Bayern) — stellar season confirmed 3; central midfield candidate
- Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart) — natural left-footer; different profile; valued
SECTION III: Offensive Operations (Retained Personnel)
Florian Wirtz | Liverpool | Senior Creative Director, Final Third
Mr. Wirtz is the face of this organization's forward vision. 2 No further elaboration required.
Jamal Musiala | FC Bayern Munich | Co-Director, Creative Operations
Mr. Musiala returns from a broken leg sustained at the FIFA Club World Cup. CEO Nagelsmann has stated: "Jamal has been getting better and better and still has plenty of time to build up his rhythm. Even at 95 per cent, he is one of the outstanding players in world football." 3 His position is not in question.
Kai Havertz | Arsenal | Striker / False 9
The preferred No. 9, when fit. This office notes he has a Champions League winner's medal from his time at Chelsea and has since continued to develop at Arsenal. His employment is secure.
Leon Goretzka | FC Bayern Munich | Senior Midfield Contributor
Mr. Goretzka's continued employment represents something of a statement, given the depth of the available talent pool. His presence is noted without further comment.
Leroy Sané | Galatasaray | Wide Forward; Performance: Inconsistent
Mr. Sané has had, by external accounts, a season of uneven output at Galatasaray. Nevertheless, he brings pace and technical quality that no directly available alternative fully replicates. He is retained. He should be aware that Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling is watching. 3
Deniz Undav | Stuttgart | Striker
Mr. Undav finished as the top German scorer in the 2025/26 Bundesliga with 19 goals. CEO Nagelsmann has confirmed: "You can't leave a striker like him at home." 3 Position: secure. Quote: unambiguous.
Nick Woltemade | Newcastle United | Striker, Physical Profile
Mr. Woltemade offers height, physical presence, and a profile no other striker candidate can replicate. His transfer to Newcastle United has been processed. He is retained.
Jamie Leweling | Stuttgart | Wide Forward; watching Leroy Sané closely
See above.
Maximilian Beier | Borussia Dortmund | Forward Depth
See below for what didn't happen to Mr. Beier.
Lennart Karl | FC Bayern Munich | Forward; Breakthrough Campaign; 19 Years Old
Management asks that the external media and the internal staff refrain from placing undue pressure on Mr. Karl. He is nineteen. He had a breakthrough campaign. He is retained. That is all.
Nadiem Amiri | Mainz | Midfield/Forward
Mr. Amiri is retained. His role will be determined as deployment requires.
SECTION IV: Employee Separations
This section is presented without editorial commentary, as HR has requested.
Oliver Baumann — see Section I; title reclassified, position retained
Serge Gnabry — Separation reason: torn adductor muscle injury. Mr. Gnabry would have played a key role. He did not play a key role. This was not his decision. 4
Karim Adeyemi — Separation reason: performance output at Borussia Dortmund assessed as insufficient. Pace asset noted. Selection declined. 4
Saïd El Mala — Cologne. 13 goals. 4 assists. Bundesliga debut season. A strong case was made internally. The case was not successful. 4
Tom Bischof — Was described as "really close" to selection by this office. Did not receive sufficient minutes at FC Bayern in the position Germany would have deployed him. Proximity to selection is not selection. 4
Assan Ouédraogo — Scored on his senior international debut. Was not called back. 4
A separate report has noted that the DFB — the company, not this document — learned from media reports that at least one employee would not be included before receiving a personal call. 5 Management acknowledges this was not ideal. The 62-call project is understood to have begun immediately thereafter.
SECTION V: Internal Dissent — Filed for Record
This office notes that former Germany international Markus Babbel submitted the following to external media:
"The way he communicates is simply a disaster. This dithering from the very beginning is driving us crazy with our national coach. Because you want clear instructions, and every player feels the same way." 2
Former Ballon d'Or winner Matthias Sammer offered the following counterpoint:
"Are we on a leisurely outing or are we in high-performance sports, where even the brutality of such decisions sometimes seems absurd to the people out there at first glance? The goal has to be to have the best goalkeeper at the moment. Manuel Neuer is the best German goalkeeper we have." 2
Mr. Babbel subsequently clarified: "Matthias Sammer is right that it's not a matter of personal preference, but that the best players have to go to the World Cup. But nobody can tell me that Nagelsmann only realized last week: 'Wow, Neuer's actually in really good form.'" 2
Both perspectives have been logged. Neither changes the squad.
SECTION VI: Reporting Structure and Next Steps
The retained 26-person team will assemble for pre-deployment preparations ahead of Project WC2026 launch on June 12, 2026.
Germany's Group A engagement will proceed as scheduled. Competitors: Scotland, Hungary, and Switzerland.
"We have a strong squad, one which I have full confidence in. With the support of our fans, we want to put in a strong showing at this World Cup."
— Julian Nagelsmann, CEO, DFB GmbH 1
Counseling resources remain available. Please do not reply-all to this message.
This communication supersedes all prior squad-related correspondence. The 62 calls are considered complete.
#MatchRewritten
References
- 1
- 2
- 3Bundesliga.com — How Will Germany Line Up
bundesliga.com
- 4Hooligan Soccer — Germany Announce 2026 World Cup Squad
hooligan-soccer.com
- 5
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