Florian Wirtz — Germany World Cup 2026 Squad

Florian Wirtz arrives at this World Cup as one of Germany's clearest sources of invention between the lines. He is 22, he plays for Bayer Leverkusen, and he already has 40 caps and 14 goals for the national team. Wirtz is valuable because he sees the pass that shifts the whole defence rather than just the one that keeps the move alive. Germany have had too many attacks in recent tournaments that looked tidy and went nowhere. He changes that when he is sharp. A quick turn, a disguised through ball, one clean touch in traffic - that is usually where his influence starts. If Germany look more dangerous in 2026 than they have for a while, Wirtz will be one of the main reasons why.