Kai Havertz was a regular player for the German national team at the 2024 European Championships, but missed all international matches in 2025 due to injury – now he wants to attack again at the World Cup.
He had already missed most of the second half of the 2024/25 season due to a thigh injury. Shortly after his return at the start of the 2025/26 season, a knee injury resulted in the next forced break. In 2025, Havertz did not play a single international match. “It was ups and downs for me personally. Of course you realize that you’ve been out for a year”Havertz said on Wednesday: “But I feel in top shape, I feel very good. But it’s also clear that I still need one or two games from the start.”
Should Havertz be used, it would be his first international match since November 2024 in Budapest against Hungary. On Friday (8:45 p.m.) the German team will play against Switzerland in Basel.
Kai Havertz in his last international match to date in November 2024 in Hungary
Two injuries and no international match in 2025
The game in Budapest at the end of 2024 was the last time that national coach Julian Nagelsmann had his three perhaps most important offensive players on the pitch at the same time. While Florian Wirtz from Liverpool FC has since been plagued with minor injuries, Nagelsmann still has to do without Jamal Musiala from Bayern Munich, who was seriously injured at the Club World Cup – and most recently Havertz for a long time.
Florian Wirtz (from left), Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala come on as substitutes in Hungary.
But he now wants to attack in the national team again. The exchange with Nagelsmann was always there, said Havertz: “I hope to be at the forefront when it comes to the tournament.” The position hardly matters to him. “I feel very comfortable in almost all positions offensively”said Havertz, who comes from Aachen and found his way to the Premier League via Alemannia Aachen and Bayer Leverkusen to FC Chelsea and then to FC Arsenal. Havertz was missing from training on Tuesday – the official reason was load control, but he was there again on Wednesday.
Several goals since returning
Havertz has been playing at Arsenal again since the end of January – albeit with a two-week break due to a muscle injury. In the home game against Sunderland he managed an assist in a 3-0 win in the Premier League, and in the Champions League he scored once against Kairat Almaty and Bayer Leverkusen.
| Opponent | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
Switzerland | 27.3. | Basel |
Ghana | 30.3. | Stuttgart |
Finland | 31.5. | Mainz |
USA | 6.6. | Chicago |
Curacao (World Cup) | 14.6. | Houston |
Ivory Coast (World Cup) | 20.6. | Toronto |
Ecuador (World Cup) | 25.6. | new York |
He also scored a goal in the League Cup semi-final against Chelsea and missed the chance to take the lead in the final against Manchester City (0-2). With Arsenal he plays in the Premier League and also in the FA Cup and the Champions League – too much of a burden? “We have a lot of games in the league and are in three competitions. I will give everything for the club in the last two or three months so that I can then travel to the World Cup with great self-confidence.”Havertz said: “We are all footballers. Nobody goes into the game hoping that they won’t get injured, but rather to give everything.”
Arsenal’s Kai Havertz (l.) in the League Cup final against Manchester City
Places in the World Cup squad will be awarded in May
Now the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico is getting closer. In the second week of May, the national coach will distribute the places in the World Cup squad. Nagelsmann has already warned: It will “There are decisions that are probably not met with great understanding. Not by the player, but not by the general public either.” Nagelsmann has to report his final squad to FIFA at the beginning of June.
Kai Havertz (l.) and Julian Nagelsmann in November 2024
USA – Havertz avoids political assessments
When asked about the political situation in the USA, where US President Donald Trump is ruling the country more and more autocratically, Havertz evaded it. “We’re going there to play a good World Cup”Havertz said: “I play football to connect people and make people happy. I know the situation in Qatar. And we all know what happened. We are focused on football.”
