Manuel Neuer is done with international football. The Germany goalkeeper confirmed on June 18, 2026, that the 2026 FIFA World Cup would be his final tournament with the national team, drawing a definitive close to one of the most decorated careers in German football history.
The announcement arrived under a cloud. Germany’s exit in the Round of 32 was not the send-off anyone had scripted for the country’s longest-serving starting goalkeeper, and Neuer was open about his disappointment with how things ended.
A career defined by longevity and one golden afternoon in Brazil
Neuer made 124 appearances for Germany, a number that tells you everything about how central he was to the national team project for well over a decade.
The clearest entry on that resume is 2014. Germany’s World Cup triumph in Brazil remains the defining moment of Neuer’s international story, the tournament where he essentially redefined what a goalkeeper could be, sweeping wide of his area like a libero and making it look completely normal.
