Borussia Dortmund's 2025-26 season might be over but many of their first-team stars are headed to the 2026 FIFA World Cup with their respective national teams.
The BVB fans will be eagerly keeping an eye on their favorite players repping it up on the international stage in the biggest event of the year.
Dortmund have a sizeable World Cup contigent
While they do not boast the biggest names in the business, Die Borussen have players who have carved a niche for themselves at the club and can give the marquee names a serious run for their money.
As far as World Cup is concerned, the BVB have a sizeable contingent that's heading to next month's north American showpiece, albeit most of them are European. Only one of Dortmund's two African players are set to compete in the World Cup.
Every Dortmund player who is heading to the World Cup
So far, 12 players from the Dortmund squad have been named either in the preliminary squad or on the final list across seven different countries.
Switzerland - Gregor Kobel: This one's a no-brainer. Following such a phenomenal individual campaign for the BVB that yielded the most number of clean sheets in the Bundesliga, the custodian is set for the World Cup with La Nati.
Germany - Waldemar Anton, Nico Schlotterbeck, Felix Nmecha, Maximilian Beier: For obvious reasons, Germany will have the biggest Dortmund contigent with four of their first-team stars making the cut in Julian Naglesmann's squad.
Algeria - Ramy Bensebaini: While the Green Falcons have dropped his name from the preliminary squad due to his current knee injury, there's still a chance of Bensebaini making it to the World Cup if he recovers in time.
Turkey - Salih Ozcan: He's leaving Dortmund this summer but despite a lack of gametime, Ozcan was called-up to Turkey's preliminary squad.
Austria - Marcel Sabitzer, Carney Chukwuemeka: Back in the World Cup after 28 years, Das Team has called-up their midfield linchpin Sabitzer for their tournament while Chuwuemeka's meteoric rise has seen him being selected too after switching allegiance from England.
Sweden - Daniel Svensson: The Nordic side are one of the underdogs at the tournament, boasting a talented group of players that includes the marauding full-back Daniel Svensson, who just had a great season at Dortmund.
Norway - Julian Ryerson: One of Bundesliga's best creators of the 2025-26 season, Ryerson is now all set to light up the World Cup stage with his heroic crossing and devastating link-up plays.
Which countries are most heavily represented?
Germany is the nation with the highest number of Dortmund players, as nearly half the squad is German. Austria is the only other side with multiple BVB stars while Sweden, Norway, Switzerland and Algeria have one each.
The biggest stars to watch at the World Cup
Julian Ryerson could be the driving factor behind Norway's attacking machine just the way he was in Dortmund's set-up this season. His link-ups with former BVB ace and goalscoring machine Erling Haaland will be a treat to watch for the fans.
Among the German contingent, Waldemar Anton and Maximilian Beier are worth looking forward to. Both had a good run last season and could play a vital role in helping Germany progress from the group stages for the first time since 2014.
Young players who could break out in 2026
Speaking of young players, the first name that comes to mind is Carney Chukwuemeka. The midfielder couldn't really live up to the hype surrounding his permanent transfer to Dortmund last summer but his undisputed talents mean Austria are set to utilize him in probably every game. He struck a goal for Das Team on his debut in March and could be set for more at the World Cup.
Players who are set to miss 2026 FIFA World Cup
- Yan Couto - Dortmund's only Brazilian player was dropped from Carlo Ancelotti's preliminary squad, perhaps due to his subordinate role at the club that prevented him from fully expressing himself.
- Jobe Bellingham - This one doesn't come as a surprise, given he's not yet recieved a senior call-up by England
- Fabio Silva - Portugal are packed to the rafters with attacking talents, and have no space for Silva, who also played a largely substitue role for Dortmund. But when he was given the chance to lead the side, the former Wolves man was found wanting.
- Karim Adeyemi - A massive drop in form during the second-half of last season means Adeyemi will be watching Germany play at the World Cup from his house instead of being a direct participant.
- Emre Can - A senior figure for both club and country, but having spent much of the 2025-26 season on the sidelines with injuries, Can was not called-up by Naglesmann.
- Serhou Guirassy - Dortmund's best player will not be going to the 2026 FIFA World Cup as Guinea failed to qualify once more.
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