Sporting director says the goalkeeper “has to play”, whether at Barcelona or elsewhere
Marc-Andre ter Stegen will only play for Germany in the 2026 World Cup if he is getting regular minutes at club level, the nation’s sporting director has said.
The Barcelona goalkeeper featured for the club last week in the Copa del Rey against Guadalajara, his first appearance of the season, but was back on the bench for the league trip to Villarreal.
Manager Hansi Flick has made it clear that Barcelona’s first-choice goalkeeper is Joan Garcia, who has impressed since joining from Espanyol in the summer. It was even a surprise that Ter Stegen played against Guadalajara, seeing as veteran goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is the second choice.
His situation has now drawn public comment from Rudi Voller, the German national team’s sporting director, who echoed head coach Julian Nagelsmann’s stance from November.
“It doesn’t matter if he stays at Barcelona or somewhere else, in the end he has to play,” Voller said. “And then we’ll all be happy for him if, after many years as a world-class goalkeeper in Manuel Neuer’s shadow, he gets the opportunity to be between the posts at a World Cup.
“It might still be a bit open, because a lot depends on Marc-Andre. How is he doing? What’s he up to? Oliver Baumann is doing a fantastic job so far.”
After Neuer’s retirement, Ter Stegen should take the No 1 shirt for Germany in North America next year, but a starting place in the national side is tied closely to his club role. The goalkeeper is under contract until 2028 and has consistently stated his desire to remain in the club. He has so far rejected advice to leave the club and get regular minutes elsewhere.
