Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has reacted with dismay to the serious injury sustained by Jamal Musiala and has assured the Bayern Munich playmaker of his full support.
The 22-year-old broke his fibula and dislocated his ankle in the 2-0 defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup quarter-finals in Atlanta on Saturday. He will undergo an operation on his return to Germany.
He was due to be a mainstay of Germany’s World Cup qualifying campaign but now faces a race to be fully fit for next June’s tournament in North America.
“Jamal’s injury is a huge shock for all of us. After he had just fought his way back onto the pitch following his muscle injury. Our thoughts are with him,” Nagelsmann said in a statement on Sunday.
Musiala is set to miss all Germany matches for the rest of the year, meaning he will sit out the entire World Cup qualification campaign.
The German team will play two matches each in September, October and November. Their opponents are Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. The group winner secures a direct ticket to the finals, which will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026, in the US, Mexico and Canada.
Musiala has played 40 times for Germany so far. Together with Florian Wirtz, he was set to form the creative core of Nagelsmann’s World Cup plans. However, the two have not been able to play an international match together this year.
In March, former Bayer Leverkusen player Wirtz missed the Nations League quarter-final against Italy due to injury, and in June, Musiala was unable to participate in the final four of the UEFA competition due to his hamstring injury. He had only just made his comeback for Bayern at the Club World Cup.
The World Cup next June is set to be Musiala’s fourth tournament in a Germany shirt, following the European Championship in 2021, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 home Euros.
“Jamal can count on the support of all of us in the national team. We wish him all the best for the operation and a good and speedy recovery. That is the most important thing now,” added Nagelsmann.