Germany begin the final leg of their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup tonight with a friendly to Finland at the Mewa Arena in Mainz.
It's their last home tie before jetting off to the United States for their final warm-up game against the Stars and Stripes.
Die Mannschaft officially kick-off their bid for a fifth crown on 14 June against debutants Curacao as Julian Naglesmann's side are looking to erase painful memories of last two editions.
Ranked 10th in the world, Germany are currently on a seven-game winning run in all competitions; five in the qualifiers followed by two wins in March friendlies.
A total of 26 players have been called up for the north American showpiece next month, with Manuel Neuer being the shock addition as the goalkeeper returned from international retirement.
Four BVB stars are in the mix too, with Waldemar Anton, Nico Schlotterbeck, Felix Nmecha and Maximilian Beier all being summoned for World Cup duties.
Felix Nmecha is confirmed to start
While the kick-off is still a few hours away, Felix Nmecha is reportedly confirmed to start against Finland. The 25-year-old has only six international caps to his name but Naglesmann has revealed he's among those in the XI for tonight's friendly.
This shows the manager wants him to get some gametime before the World Cup as Nmecha could be a regular starter. The midfielder had a promising campaign with Dortmund wherein he demonstrated his imperious ball-carrying ability and exemplary vision.
Nmecha's value in the side was truly underlined when he missed the last few weeks of the 2025-26 season with a torn knee ligament and Dortmund suffered three losses in five games during that period, which not a coincidence.
It wasn't surprising to see Nmecha get called-up to Germany's final 26-man squad as the player had clearly made an impression on Naglesmann, who perhaps sees him play a vital role for them in the championship.
He made his international debut in March 2023 in the 3-2 loss to Belgium while netting his first and only goal in a UEFA Nations League clash to Hungary on 19 November 2024. Nmecha made only two appearances in the World Cup qualifiers, starting neither.
Who else is confirmed to start
There's no indication on the other three Dortmund players for now but Naglesmann has also confirmed to start Stuttgart ace Deniz Undav and Bayern Munich duo, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Lennart Karl.
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