Germany v Ghana: Line-ups, stats and preview
The lowdown as Germany host Ghana in a friendly
Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann says a clean sheet is “always nice” as his side prepare to host Ghana in Stuttgart three days after coming from behind three times to win 4-3 in Switzerland.
Liverpool playmaker Florian Wirtz set up two goals and scored twice – including the 85th-minute winner – as Die Mannschaft’s build-up to their group games against Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador at the 2026 FIFA World Cup continued in somewhat unconvincing style.
“I expect and want us to win the game,” acknowledged Nagelsmann, suggesting that he had been surprised by the margin of Ghana’s 5-1 defeat to Austria in Vienna on the same evening.
“[Wirtz] showed glimpses of what he’s capable of, but he can play with even more intensity and do better.
“He gets decent playing time at his club but he’s missed out on many crucial matches, and we have to take his lack of rhythm into account. He’ll get another chance to improve on Monday.”
Ghana took 25 points from 10 qualifying matches to reach the finals and will face European teams in their closing two group games, taking on England and Croatia after an opener against Panama.
At 73rd in FIFA’s rankings, Otto Addo’s side are 63 places below Germany and feature Hamburg-born Union Berlin left-back Derrick Kohn among their ranks.
“I was an under-15 player at Hamburger SV and Otto was the coach of the under-19 team,” recalled Kohn, who has been called up for a second time and qualifies for Ghana through his parents, speaking to the DFB.
“We often saw each other between training pitches and talked a lot. Because he’s also German-Ghanaian, the connection was special. I was very inspired by him.
“There’s definitely a bit of Hamburg dialect in the national team; after all, [Atto and I are] not the only ones with German roots.
“When we have individual talks, we naturally speak German. In my first international match against Japan, he even gave me the instructions in German.
“There are many players these days who are children of emigrant parents. In our generation, that’s nothing special. Generally, though, the coach speaks in English or in our original language in Ghana, Twi.
“I have two homelands. I am German through and through and I am Ghanaian through and through. I feel comfortable in both cultures.
“[A match like this is] incredible – and truly a childhood dream come true.”
Table of Contents
Germany v Ghana team news
Germany goalkeeper Jonas Urbig has been replaced in the squad by Augsburg’s Finn Dahmen because of a knee injury.
Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade is set to start at the home of his former side, Stuttgart, while Die Schwaben’s top scorer, Deniz Undav – whose 18 goals in this season’s Bundesliga put him only behind Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane – will be involved.
“The plan is for him to get some playing time,” Nagelsmann said of Undav. “That’s not because of Stuttgart, but because of his scoring record. He deserves it.”
Bayern’s Jamal Musiala is injured and teammate Aleksandar Pavlovic withdrew from the squad as an injury precaution.
Borussia Dortmund’s Felix Nmecha has a knee injury that Nagelsmann hopes will not keep the midfielder out of the finals.
Alex Nubel is on loan to Stuttgart from Bayern and will start, with Nagelsmann calling the selection a “reward” for the goalkeeper.
Defender Derrick Luckassen and forward Daniel Agyei could make their debuts for Ghana after being unused substitutes against Austria.
Defenders Marvin Senaya and Patric Pfeiffer won their first caps in that game but forwards Inaki Williams and Brandon Thomas-Asante were not involved because of injury, with Hamburg’s Yansford-Yeboah Konigsdorffer called up in attack.
“A lot of other players are injured and I hope that everybody will, at least, be ready for the World Cup,” Addo said before the defeat, which has led to calls from some for the former winger, who played for Ghana at the 2006 World Cup, to leave his post.
Centre-back Alexander Djiku and midfielders Ibrahim Sulemana and Thomas Partey returned to the squad for the friendlies.
Tottenham winger Mohammed Kudus was not named in the squad but has returned to light training following a long-term hamstring injury.
Germany v Ghana predicted line-ups
Germany starting XI: Alexander Nubel, Joshua Kimmich, Antonio Rudiger, Jonathan Tah, David Raum, Angelo Stiller, Anton Stach, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Florian Wirtz, Nick Woltemade
Ghana starting XI: Lawrence Ati-Zigi, Derrick Kohn, Jerome Opoku, Jonas Adjetey, Alexander Djiku, Caleb Yirenkyi, Kwasi Sibo, Ibrahim Sulemana, Thomas Partey, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Antoine Semenyo
Where to watch Germany v Ghana: TV channel, live online streams
The match starts at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT) on Monday, with live coverage in the UK on Amazon Prime PPV, which charges £2.49 for the game.
Germany v Ghana stats
- Germany have never lost in the four meetings between the teams (D2) and wore all-black at a World Cup for the first time in their 1-0 victory in the fixture at the 2010 finals in South Africa, where Mesut Ozil scored the 60th-minute winner
- Joshua Kimmich’s next cap will be the midfielder’s 108th, drawing level with Jurgen Klinsmann in ninth place on Germany’s all-time appearance list
- Kimmich could make his 105th start for Germany, matching Miroslav Klose and Jurgen Kohler’s totals. Only three players have started more matches for the nation; record holder Lothar Matthaus is on 137
- Klinsmann scored twice inside 16 minutes in Germany’s 6-1 friendly win over Ghana in Bochum in April 1993, when the visitors led at half-time through Prince Polley’s goal
- Miroslav Klose matched Brazil forward Ronaldo’s record of 15 goals across World Cup tournaments by securing a 2-2 draw for Germany against Ghana during the group stage at the 2014 finals in Brazil. Klose still holds the record of 16, with Argentina’s Lionel Messi (13) and France’s Kylian Mbappe (12) closest among active players
- Ghana have lost their last three matches, suffering a 1-0 defeat to South Korea and 2-0 loss against Japan in their games immediately preceding that thrashing by Austria
- They had been on a five-match unbeaten run beforehand, including wins over Comoros, Central African Republic, Mali and Trinidad and Tobago
- The Black Stars have scored more than one goal in one of their last seven matches and have had four attempts on target across their last three
- That win over Trinidad and Tobago is their only victory in their last seven meetings with non-African teams (L6), since a 3-2 defeat of South Korea at the 2022 World Cup
- Only five players scored more goals in CAF qualifying than Leicester City winger Jordan Ayew (7)
Germany v Ghana prediction
Germany
Ghana
Germany should end the international break with a more comfortable win against depleted opponents in poor form.
What To Do If You Have A Gambling Problem
We understand that gambling can be fun, but it is always important to gamble responsibly. If you are struggling with a gambling problem, please do not hesitate to ask for help. There are people who can help you get on the road to recovery. Below, we have listed some helpful resources to help aid you on the road to recovery.
- National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133
- GamCare: https://www.gamcare.org.uk
- GambleAware: www.gambleaware.com