Neuer confirms retirement from German national team after World Cup

Manuel Neuer has one final mission left with Germany before bringing the curtain down on his international career – lifting a second FIFA World Cup trophy.

The 40-year-old confirmed he will retire from national team duty after the 2026 tournament, ending any speculation over whether he will continue to represent his country after previously reversing his decision to step away following Euro 2024.

Neuer, who starred for Germany when they last won the World Cup in 2014, said he wants to savor his final weeks with the national team rather than turn them into a farewell tour.

"For me it is clear that this is my last tournament," he noted. "I do not plan to be there in two years' time for the next Euro. In the few last days I have dealt with the fact that these are my last games for Germany. But I want to look forward to all the games and not to any goodbye shirts."

His presence at this year's tournament already represents an unexpected final chapter.

After stepping away from Die Mannschaft following Euro 2024, Neuer believed the timing was right to end a career that had already spanned nearly two decades. However, strong performances for Bayern Munich convinced Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann to bring him back into the fold.

"I stepped back in 2024 with a good reason after a good home Euro. For me it was the right decision. It felt right," he said. "It would have been too much of a sporting burden for me to have kept playing for the national team for the last two years."

Germany's emphatic 7-1 victory over Curacao in its opening Group E match has strengthened belief that another deep World Cup run is possible.

A win over Cote d'Ivoire on Saturday would send the four-time world champions into the knockout stage with a match to spare and allow the team to shift its focus beyond the group phase.

Neuer, however, is determined to keep Germany's attention on the immediate challenge rather than on memories of previous disappointments.

Germany suffered group-stage exits in both 2018 and 2022, but the shot-stopper said there is no appetite inside the camp to revisit those failures.

"This is our goal. We have everything in our own hands. We don't want to look back at past World Cups," he said. "The team does not deal with that. We look at the next step and the next step is Cote d'Ivoire. To qualify after the second game would be special and would allow us to look a bit further ahead."

Should Germany go all the way, Neuer would become the first German player to win two World Cup titles.