Lennart Karl Ruled Out of 2026 World Cup Due to Injury

Germany’s World Cup plans have taken an early hit. According to German newspaper Bild, Bayern Munich attacking midfielder Lennart Karl will miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup after suffering an injury in Friday’s training session with the national team.

Karl is expected to be withdrawn from Julian Nagelsmann’s squad, forcing Germany to name a replacement before the tournament kicks off. For a player who had quietly become one of the Bundesliga champions’ most useful weapons, the timing could hardly be worse.

He was not a headline starter at Bayern Munich, but he had become something just as valuable: a trusted solution. Across the season, Karl was directly involved in 17 goals through his combined goals and assists, often tilting tight games from the bench and offering Nagelsmann a flexible option anywhere across the attacking line.

“Lennart suffered an injury in training and, honestly, it doesn't look good. We have to wait for the diagnosis and then decide whether he can realistically make the World Cup or if we need to call up a replacement,” the Germany coach said, outlining the stark choice that now appears to have been made for him.

For Germany, it is more than just the loss of a squad player. Karl’s ability to change tempo, find space between the lines and contribute decisively in the final third had made him an ideal impact option for tournament football, where depth often separates contenders from also-rans.

This setback lands at a delicate moment for a national team still trying to shake off the shadows of recent failures at major tournaments. Nagelsmann must now reshuffle his attacking deck and identify a new spark from the fringes.

The World Cup will move on without Lennart Karl. The question for Germany is whether their resurgence can do the same.