For World Cup success
Schweinsteiger’s tip to Nagelsmann
Updated on May 29, 2026 – 3:41 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Bastian Schweinsteiger draws a direct parallel between the current World Cup squad and the 2014 World Cup team. He names a concrete minimum goal.
Rio world champion Bastian Schweinsteiger sees the Bayern block of the German World Cup squad as an important basis for a successful tournament. National coach Julian Nagelsmann has nominated seven players from the record champions for the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Schweinsteiger explained to the Rheinische Post: “Team unity is very important. We had a strong structure of Bayern players in 2014. That was there, that was consolidated and that was so strong that we pulled the other players in the squad along with us. And that can now be the case again in the team thanks to the Bayern axis.”
In 2014, six Munich players were in the starting line-up in the World Cup final against Argentina: Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, Philipp Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Jérôme Boateng and Toni Kroos. This time, Nagelsmann called seven stars of the double winners into the 26-man squad: captain Joshua Kimmich, Neuer, Jamal Musiala, Aleksandar Pavlović, Jonathan Tah, Leon Goretzka and Lennart Karl.
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The 41-year-old sees potential in the DFB team – but with limitations. Schweinsteiger said: “I do believe that we have world-class players: Kimmich, Musiala, Wirtz – including Pavlović in his current condition. The difference to the other top nations and also to our 2014 team is the lack of consistency at the moment and the drop in performance that occurs every now and then.”
Schweinsteiger says the semi-finals are the minimum goal. He would see that as a “success,” but it would be “very difficult if you really caught someone like France in the round of 16.” In Group E, Germany will face Curaçao (June 14th), Ivory Coast (June 20th) and Ecuador (June 25th).
