Manuel Neuer announces retirement after the 2026 World Cup

Manuel Neuer has definitively clarified his international career: after the 2026 World Cup, it is really over for Germany. The 40-year-old goalkeeper, who reversed his earlier retirement after the 2024 European Championship, put the finishing touches on his future at a press conference.

"For me it is clear: this is my last tournament for Germany. I do not plan to be at the European Championship in two years," Neuer said. "I have realized in recent days that these are my last matches for Germany. But now I mainly want to enjoy every match instead of dwelling on saying goodbye."


With his performance against Curaçao, Neuer became the oldest German international ever at a major tournament (40 years and 79 days), a record previously held by Lothar Matthäus. In addition, he played his twentieth World Cup match, making him the equal of Hugo Lloris and only the second goalkeeper ever to reach this milestone. He is also the second European player ever to participate in forty major tournament matches, after Cristiano Ronaldo.

With the big 7-1 victory over Curaçao, Germany has made an excellent start to the World Cup. If they beat Ivory Coast on Saturday, the Germans will qualify for the knockout phase for the first time since 2014 after two group matches. Neuer: "Everything is in our own hands. We don't look back to the past, it's all about the next step and that is Ivory Coast. It would be special to qualify after two games and be able to look ahead."

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