The Bundesliga's growing influence on international football

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It has been just over ten years since Germany last lifted the World Cup trophy. But with the next edition of the revamped tournament on our doorstep, there is a quiet confidence that Julian Nagelsmann’s side can go all the way again. In 2014, Germany defeated Brazil in the semi-final before Mario Götze’s extra time strike decided the final against Argentina.

Twelve years on, Götze is now 33, and a new generation of German footballers has emerged to try to write their names into the history books. As with many nations, the domestic league is responsible for the nurturing and development of young talent, and the Bundesliga is one of the best at doing just that. 

In recent years, the Bundesliga has produced talent that is playing at the highest level across Europe. The likes of Jamal Musiala (23), Florian Wirtz (23), Aleksander Pavlović (22), and Lennart Karl (18), if called upon, will be expected to put that talent on show for the world to see in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. However, there is also plenty of experience and renowned names in international football that have come through the Bundesliga system that will look to make an impact on the world stage. 

Online sports betting has always created popular, heavily followed markets ranking the favourites, even more so now with the recent growth of the activity. For those scouring the online odds, the betting markets currently place Germany among the favourites, behind only the likes of Spain, France, and England. 

But with Bundesliga talent, past and present, expected to contribute heavily to this summer’s festival of football, interest in online betting on soccer and the overall winner market in particular is expected to grow ahead of what should be a fascinating 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Photo: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0

Bundesliga-Based Talent Expected to Feature at World Cup

In the most recent squad selected by Nagelsmann, only nine of the twenty-five players play their football outside of Germany. Antonio Rüdiger and Leroy Sané are the standout names on that list, currently playing for Real Madrid and Galatasaray, respectively. 

Despite a very prominent FC Bayern Munich spine with the likes of Jonathan Tah, Joshua Kimmich, and Jamal Musiala (missed last squad through injury), there is good representation from across the Bundesliga. VfB Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund, TSG Hoffenheim, Eintracht Frankfurt, RB Leipzig, and Augsburg will hope to combine to produce a version of Bundesliga football that will entertain and ultimately be successful.

Bundesliga Born and Bred

For stars like Rüdiger and Sane, the ability and talent developed in the Bundesliga has allowed them to forge careers in other top leagues in Europe. The same can be said of Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool), Nick Woltemade (Newcastle United), Anton Stach (Leeds United), and Kevin Schade (Brentford) who all play in the Premier League. 

All five progressed through the Bundesliga before earning moves to England, but the quintet will look to bring the physicality and technical ability developed in the Bundesliga to the world stage in a few weeks’ time. 

The Next Generation

While it seems Musiala and Wirtz have been around forever, they both still belong to the next wave of talent to take German football forward. Wirtz sealed a whopping €137.5 million transfer to Liverpool on the back of some impressive seasons with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. But alongside Wirtz and Musiala, the next generational talent produced by the Bundesliga that football fans are getting excited about is Lennart Karl.

The FC Bayern winger made his international debut in the recent March warm up match against Switzerland. The 18-year-old followed that up a few days later with another substitute appearance against Ghana. With the likes of Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) of La Liga, Desire Doue (PSG) of Ligue 1, and Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City) from the Premier League expected to shine for their respective domestic leagues, Karl could be the Bundesliga jewel to light up international football on the biggest stage.

The Final Word

The Bundesliga has always been one of the strongest leagues in the world. Despite not possessing the riches of the Premier League or the glamour of La Liga, German football has continued to churn out world class players. The likes of Miroslav Klose, Thomas Müller, and Philipp Lahm have graced World Cups in the past. It is time for the current crop of players to show how influential the Bundesliga can be on the world stage.