Lennart Karl ruled out of 2026 World Cup due to injury

Germany’s World Cup plans have been dealt a sharp early blow. Lennart Karl, Bayern Munich’s rising attacking midfielder, will miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup after suffering an injury in training on Friday, according to German newspaper Bild.

What began as a routine session has turned into a major selection problem for Julian Nagelsmann. Karl is now expected to be withdrawn from the squad, forcing Germany to name a replacement before the tournament begins.

“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, laying out the stark choice that has now been made for him.

Karl will not go to the World Cup. For a player who had quietly become one of Bayern’s most useful attacking pieces, it is a brutal cut.

He never nailed down a guaranteed starting spot for the Bundesliga champions, yet his influence kept growing. Used as a flexible option behind the striker or drifting in from wide areas, he brought energy, pressing, and end-product in tight games. Across the season, he was directly involved in 17 goals through his goals and assists, a return that turned him into a trusted weapon off the bench and a tactical joker in the final third.

That kind of profile matters at a World Cup. Tournaments are often decided not just by the stars on the teamsheet, but by the players who can tilt a game in 20 or 30 minutes. Karl had positioned himself exactly in that category for Nagelsmann: fresh legs, sharp movement, and a knack for finding the final pass or late run into the box.

Now Germany lose that option at the worst possible moment.

For a national team still trying to shake off the scars of several disappointing major tournaments, this is more than a minor inconvenience. Nagelsmann must rethink his attacking mix, re-balance his bench, and identify someone who can bring similar versatility and impact in the final third.

The replacement will come. The gap Karl leaves behind might not be as easy to fill.