Joshua Kimmich

Joshua Kimmich is the Germany captain, named in Julian Nagelsmann's final 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup and listed in the team's midfield group alongside Aleksandar Pavlović, Leon Goretzka, Jamie Leweling, Jamal Musiala, Pascal Groß, Angelo Stiller, Florian Wirtz, Leroy Sané, Nadiem Amiri, Felix Nmecha and Lennart Karl. The Bayern Munich midfielder is 31 at kick-off and brings 108 senior Germany caps and 10 international goals into the tournament, with the 21 May 2026 squad announcement explicitly naming him as captain at what is his third senior World Cup after Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.

Germany face Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador in Group E, opening against Curacao at NRG Stadium in Houston on 14 June. Nagelsmann's side qualified by winning UEFA Group A on 17 November 2025. Kimmich arrives confirmed in the midfield group as captain, his third senior World Cup.

Kimmich is a versatile midfielder known for aggression, playmaking ability, precise passing and crossing, with central-midfield work as the core of his profile. He carries the ball through the lines from deep, breaks up opposition possession and resets tempo with short, medium and longer passing — the holding seat Nagelsmann's 4-1-3-2 needs from a senior international.

The Philipp Lahm comparison fits the same profile: a Bayern Munich and Germany captain whose game connects defensive cover, midfield passing and forward support. Kimmich's 10 Germany goals fit a holding midfielder who steps forward when the shape allows it, and he remains Germany captain for 2026.

Germany sit in Tier 2 at £24m within the game's £200m card budget. The Group E slate runs Curacao on 14 June at NRG Stadium in Houston, Ivory Coast, then Ecuador — the early-fixture window for that team card.

Kimmich's contribution to that £24m call is the captain's brief: ball progression from deep, precise passing as a striker of the ball, and 108 caps that translate to the central-midfield seat in Nagelsmann's 4-1-3-2. For Goal Rush, the £24m slot is the team-card pricing, and the captain framing gives this pick its tactical centre.