German prodigy Lennart Karl’s World Cup is over before it started.
In a statement from the team, Karl ‘suffered a muscle bundle tear in his left front thigh’ during a training session on Friday, with the injury ruling him out of the entire tournament.
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Karl will have to wait another four years to make his World Cup debutCredit: Getty
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann confirmed Karl will be replaced by RB Leipzig’s Assan Ouedraogo, who will link up with the squad ‘in the coming days’.
Nagelsmann reacts to ‘huge shock’
“I feel incredibly sorry for Lenny,” Nagelsmann said.
“With his light‑heartedness, his creativity, his pace, and his personality, he fit into the team perfectly.
“It is a huge shock for him and for all of us that he will miss the World Cup.
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“It is only a small consolation that he is young and still has many tournaments ahead of him. We would have loved to have him in the team.
“With Assan Ouédraogo we are now getting a player who, similar to Lenny, had a great start with us.
“He is also highly talented and is meant to play here boldly and freely.”
Injury ends Karl’s dream season on sour note
Karl’s injury was sustained one day before the four-time world champions took on the United States in a pre-tournament tune-up.
His forced withdrawal from the squad marks an incredibly cruel way to sign off on what has been a dream campaign with Bayern Munich.
The teenage sensation made his professional debut for the Bavarians last June at the Club World Cup and came on in leaps and bounds.
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The 18-year-old has represented Germany three times in his senior careerCredit: Getty
Karl wrote himself into Bayern folklore when he became the club’s youngest-ever scorer in the Champions League thanks to his strike in a 4-0 drubbing of Club Brugge in October.
In total, Karl ended the 2025/26 season with nine goals and eight assists to his name from 40 appearances across all competitions.
The teenager’s impressive displays in what was his first full season as a professional earned him a call-up to Nagelsmann’s squad for the World Cup, where he was one of seven inclusions from Bayern.
Manuel Neuer, Jonathan Tah, Joshua Kimmich, Leon Goretzka, Jamal Musiala and Aleksandar Pavlovic were also named among Nagelsmann’s 26-man team.
However, the Bayern contingent has dropped to six due to Karl’s injury.
When do Germany play their World Cup matches?
Germany go into the World Cup with high expectations as they look to add a fifth star above their badge.
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Nagelsmann will miss Karl’s youthful exuberance on the pitchCredit: Getty
Nagelsmann’s side were drawn into Group E alongside Curacao, Ecuador and Ivory Coast, who recorded a surprise 2-1 win over tournament favourites France in a friendly on Thursday.
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Germany will face World Cup debutant Curacao on June 14 before taking on Ivory Coast six days later.
The European powerhouse round out their Group E fixtures against Ecuador on June 25.
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