Why doesn’t Musiala start in Germany versus Paraguay in the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

Germany will take on Parguay in a round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Boston Stadium on Monday.

Julian Nagelsmann has made the call to drop Jamal Musiala, who started all three group stage matches for the Germans, for the knockout match against the South Americans.

Musiala scored a goal in the opening match in the 7-1 draw against Curaçao, but failed to impress in 150 minutes of football against Ivory Coast and Ecuador.

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Striker Denis Undav, who has scored three goals so far, will replace the attacking midfielder in the line-up.

The 23-year-old suffered a serious ankle injury while playing for Bayern Munich during the FIFA Club World Cup in July last year and was out of action for more than six months.

«We have generally created enough scoring opportunities in possession. Not in the last game, but in the games before that,» Nagelsmann told Sky German, explaining the decision.

«However, we lacked a bit of presence up front when the opponent was defending compactly. We were often forced to play the ball into areas in front of the opponent’s midfield, and there we lost too much possession, quickly taking players out of our play.»

“With a second striker we now have more presence up front, we can play the ball in those areas, and Deniz has earned that ball too,” he added.

Published on June 30, 2026