Neuer to Neymar: 11 World Cup players who retired from international football
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42'
Goal Julio ENCISO (Paraguay) scores!!
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54'
Goal Kai HAVERTZ (Germany) scores!!
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65'
Yellow card Andres CUBAS (Paraguay) is booked by
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105'
Yellow card Gustavo ALFARO (Paraguay) is booked by
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105'+1'
Yellow card Julian NAGELSMANN (Germany) is booked by
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106'
Yellow card Kai HAVERTZ (Germany) is booked by
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115'
Yellow card Jamal MUSIALA (Germany) is booked by
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116'
Yellow card Mads BUTTGEREIT (Germany) is booked by
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117'
Yellow card Alejandro MANOGRASSO (Paraguay) is booked by
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117'
Yellow card Matias GALARZA (Paraguay) is booked by
Germany squad
- Selected
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1 Manuel NEUER Goalkeeper
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2 Antonio RUEDIGER Defender
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4 Jonathan TAH Defender
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5 Aleksandar PAVLOVIC Midfielder
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6 Joshua KIMMICH C Defender
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7 Kai HAVERTZ Forward
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17 Florian WIRTZ Midfielder
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18 Nathaniel BROWN Defender
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19 Leroy SANE Midfielder
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23 Felix NMECHA Midfielder
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26 Deniz UNDAV Forward
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3 Waldemar ANTON Defender
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8 Leon GORETZKA Midfielder
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9 Jamie LEWELING Midfielder
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10 Jamal MUSIALA Midfielder
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11 Nick WOLTEMADE Forward
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12 Oliver Baumann Goalkeeper
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13 Pascal GROSS Midfielder
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14 Maximilian BEIER Forward
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16 Angelo Stiller Midfielder
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20 Nadiem Amiri Midfielder
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21 Alexander NUEBEL Goalkeeper
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22 David RAUM Defender
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24 Malick THIAW Defender
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25 Assan OUEDRAOGO Midfielder
- Full squad
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15 Nico SCHLOTTERBECK Defender
Paraguay squad
- Selected
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4 Juan Jose CACERES Defender
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6 Junior ALONSO Defender
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10 Miguel ALMIRON Midfielder
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12 Orlando GILL Goalkeeper
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13 Jose CANALE Defender
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14 Andres CUBAS Midfielder
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15 Gustavo GOMEZ C Defender
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16 Damian BOBADILLA Midfielder
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19 Julio ENCISO Forward
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21 Gabriel AVALOS Forward
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23 Matias GALARZA Midfielder
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1 Gatito FERNANDEZ Goalkeeper
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2 Gustavo VELAZQUEZ Defender
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3 Omar ALDERETE Defender
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5 Fabian BALBUENA Defender
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7 Ramon SOSA Midfielder
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9 Antonio SANABRIA Forward
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11 MAURICIO Midfielder
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17 Alejandro ROMERO GAMARRA Forward
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18 Alex ARCE Forward
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20 Braian OJEDA Midfielder
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22 Gaston OLVEIRA Goalkeeper
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24 Gustavo CABALLERO Midfielder
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25 Isidro PITTA Forward
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26 Alexandro MAIDANA Defender
- Full squad
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8 Diego GOMEZ Midfielder
As the 2026 World Cup progresses, several established international footballers have used the tournament as their final bow for their national teams, marking the end of an era for some of the sport's most recognisable names. The wave of retirements spans veteran World Cup winners, long-serving squad players and stars whose international careers began and ended with modest returns, reflecting the natural generational turnover that follows a major tournament.
Among those calling time are Germany's 2014 World Cup-winning goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, 40, who briefly came out of retirement before Germany's penalty shootout exit to Paraguay, and Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa, 41, celebrated for his memorable displays against Brazil in 2014. Czechia's Patrik Schick, 30, ended his international career after a winless group stage, while Algeria's Riyad Mahrez, 35, and Ecuador's Enner Valencia, 36, both bowed out following their teams' last-32 exits. Argentina's Nicolás Otamendi, 38, who was part of the 2022 World Cup-winning squad, also confirmed his retirement, having signalled the decision back in March.
In short
- Several veteran internationals retired after the 2026 World Cup.
- Neuer, Ochoa, Mahrez, Valencia and Otamendi are among those departing.
- Marks the end of notable international careers following tournament exits.
Explained simply
Manuel Neuer, Guillermo Ochoa and several other well-known international footballers have announced their retirement from national team duty during the 2026 World Cup. The tournament has become a natural moment for veteran players to end their careers with the national side, as squads renew themselves after a major competition and long-serving players make way for younger talent.
The group includes players with very different stories: World Cup winners such as Germany's Neuer, who lifted the trophy in 2014, and Argentina's Nicolás Otamendi, part of the victorious 2022 squad, sit alongside players whose international careers brought more modest success. Others, such as Czechia's Patrik Schick, Algeria's Riyad Mahrez and Ecuador's Enner Valencia, are stepping away after their teams were eliminated from this year's tournament.
These announcements matter because they mark the end of an era for some of football's most recognisable faces, closing a chapter for national teams that must now plan for the next generation of players without them.
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