Debut dreams are shattered for now
Nagelsmann removed professionals from the squad
Updated 11/15/2025 – 19:10Reading time: 2 minutes
He is one of the new players in the DFB team. Now Saïd El Mala’s time is over ahead of the duel with Slovakia.
National coach Julian Nagelsmann dropped Saïd El Mala from the Germany squad ahead of the World Cup qualifying “final” against Slovakia on Monday. The 19-year-old professional from 1. FC Köln will visit the U21 national team, which will compete in the European Championship qualifiers in Georgia on Tuesday. The German Football Association (DFB) confirmed this on Saturday evening.
“After returning from Luxembourg, Saïd El Mala continued his journey to the U21 national team in Herzogenaurach, as previously discussed,” the DFB wrote in a statement. El Mala will fly to Tbilisi with the youth team on Sunday.
He was previously nominated to the A squad by Nagelsmann for the first time. The national team coach first praised El Mala’s quality in individual action. Offensive players are “a profile we don’t have many in Germany.” However, El Mala only sat on the bench for 90 minutes during the 2-0 win against Luxembourg last Friday.
Therefore, the Krefeld native’s DFB debut will be postponed for the time being. For El Mala, he is now returning to the U21 team, where he has played four matches.
Nagelsmann and the German selection now face a crucial duel. A win or draw against Slovakia on Monday evening (starting at 20:45 on t-online live ticker) would be enough for first place. If Germany loses its home game in Leipzig against its direct rivals after losing 2-0 in September, Slovakia will qualify for the World Cup.
The DFB team, on the other hand, will face the ultimate test in the playoffs in March – two knockout games, both of which must be won to earn one of the 48 spots after a lengthy delay.
