Füllkrug out of Germany squad for World Cup qualifiers

Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has left Niclas Füllkrug out of the national team squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland.

The forward is a fan favourite but has been struggling to find his top form at West Ham.

Maximilian Mittelstädt and Pascal Gross were also left out, while Eintracht Frankfurt left back Nathaniel Brown was named to the squad for the first time.

Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck is making his return after recovering from a long-term injury.

"Two wins – that's our clear goal if we want to continue on our path to direct World Cup qualification. Even though we miss a few players, we're convinced that our squad has the quality to do better than last time," Nagelsmann said.

Germany didn't have a good start to the World Cup qualifiers, with a 2-0 defeat to Slovakia and a 3-1 win against Northern Ireland.

They are third in Group A and only the group leader will advance directly to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Germany are at least assured of a play-off spot based on Nations League ranking.

Back in the national team squad are also Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha, and Frankfurt forward Jonathan Burkardt, who was nominated for the attack alongside Maximilian Beier and Nick Woltemade.

Germany host Luxembourg on October 10 and visit Northern Ireland three days later.

Leroy Sané was once again not called up, as Nagelsmann believes he has a lot to prove at his new club Galatasaray.

Nagelsmann will be without Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Antonio Rüdiger, who are all injured.

Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann is expected to be Germany's number one, while VfB Stuttgart's Alexander Nübel is the back-up.