Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE starting June 12 2026

Ozil, Khedira to miss Germany's last World Cup qualifiers

BERLIN (Reuters) - Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira will miss Germany's last two World Cup qualifiers next week as they recover from injuries but fellow world champion Jerome Boateng will be back, coach Joachim Loew said on Friday.

Ozil, Khedira to miss Germany's last World Cup qualifiers
(Reuters)

The Germans are top of their qualifying group having won eight out of eight games and need one point from their last two matches against Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan to secure a spot in next year's tournament in Russia.

The 2014 World Cup winners, top on 24 points with Northern Ireland on 19 in second, travel to Belfast on Oct. 5 before hosting the Azeris in Kaiserslautern three days later.

Ozil is nursing a knee injury while fellow midfielder Khedira has been ruled out with a thigh muscle injury.

"It is unfortunate that some of our key players will not be with us," Loew said in a statement. The coach is already missing injured keeper Manuel Neuer, full back Jonas Hector and forward Mario Gomez.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

"I expect Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira to recover during this break for international matches. That is more important for them now. What will be decisive for us is that the players are fully fit next year."

Loew recalled Boateng and Leroy Sane after they missed their previous sets of matches due to injuries.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond)


2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world