Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann announced his provisional 27-man squad for the Euro 2024 on home soil this summer with veterans Toni Kroos and Thomas Müller, but without Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels.
Hummels was expected to be excluded from the list announced on Thursday, as well as Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka and injured winger Serge Gnabry.
Kroos returned into the national team during the international break in March after almost three years of international retirement. VfB Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nübel, meanwhile, received his first call-up for the national team.
"The decisive point is that you are aware as a coaching team that every player has his own character and his own traits and in the end you have to try to put together the 26 matching characters and traits. That's how a very good team is created," Nagelsmann said.
The coach said that Hummels and Goretzka were "extremely" disappointed at the news that they will not participate in their home tournament.
"I had lengthy talks with both of them. I think it's understandable that they are very sad about it. These are not nice decisions to make," he said.
Several players had previously been named
The German Football Federation (DFB) had already announced 18 names for the June 14-July 14 tournament in an unique and unconventional way throughout the week.
Players were announced via traditional and social media, influencers, TV celebrities, an art gallery, national carriers Lufthansa, at a concert and even by a döner kebab shop owner before the official presentation by Nagelsmann.
"It was a brilliant idea to make the announcement like that. I appreciate everyone who took part in it," Nagelsmann said.
All names were announced in a video compilation with all of those who participated in the action presented during Nagelsmann's news conference.
In addition to Kroos, Müller and Nübel, the group announced on Thursday includes Marc-André ter Stegen, Oliver Baumann, Jamal Musiala, Waldemar Anton, Benjamin Henrichs and Maximilian Beier.
Captain Ilkay Gündogan, Antonio Rüdiger, Joshua Kimmich, Robert Andrich, Pascal Groß, David Raum and Deniz Undav were already named on Wednesday.
Previously, the DFB had announced that goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, defenders Nico Schlotterbeck, Jonathan Tah, Maximilian Mittelstädt and Robin Koch, midfielders Aleksandar Pavlovic and Chris Führich, plus forwards Leroy Sané, Niclas Füllkrug and Kai Havertz would go to the Euros with Germany.
The DFB said on Thursday that assistant coaches Sandro Wagner, Benjamin Glück and Mads Buttgereit as well as goalkeeping coach Andreas Kronenberg have signed new contracts until 2026 and thus up to and including the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Only 12 players from the 26-man squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar were called up again. Back then, Germany were eliminated in the group stage for a second consecutive time following an early exit in Russia in 2018.
The final countdown
The final squad has to be submitted by June 7 and can have no more than 26 players
Nagelsmann will gather his team on May 26 for pre-Euros training and tune-up games against Ukraine on June 3 and Greece on June 7.
Real Madrid players Rüdiger and Kroos as well as Dortmund's Schlotterbeck and Füllkrug will miss the first week of training, and probably the Ukraine game, because their clubs contest the Champions League final on June 1.
Germany kick off the Euro 2024 in Munich against Scotland on June 14. In the group stage, they also face Hungary on June 19 and Switzerland four days later.