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From debut hopes to World Cup dreams
WHAT ARE WERDER’S CALL-UPS GETTING UP TO ON INTERNATIONAL DUTY?
24/03/26
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The Bundesliga is entering its final international break of the 2025/26 season, with ten Werder players away on international duty. For four of them, it’s the last chance to push for a World Cup squad spot, while two Bremen players will hope to make their debuts.
While some nations still have to fight for their World Cup place in the upcoming playoff matches, Austria has already qualified for the tournament. Marco Friedl and Romano Schmid will have the chance to make their case for a summer call-up in the friendlies against Ghana (Friday, 27th March, 18:00 CET) and South Korea (Tuesday, 31st March, 20:45 CEST) at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion.
Maximilian Wöber’s call-up comes as a surprise, having played only 79 minutes of competitive action this season. Coach Ralf Rangnick expanded his squad to include Wöber and David Alaba, even though “it’s unlikely they will play,” Rangnick told the ÖFB website. “I still wanted them with the team, and they wanted to be there. We will support them in their rehabilitation as best as we can.”
Yukinari Sugawara isn’t having to go too far for a pair of friendly matches with Japan this break, who have also already booked their place in the World Cup. The side will use the period to prepare through games against Scotland in Glasgow (Saturday, 28th March, 18:00 CET) and England at Wembley Stadium in London (Tuesday, 31st March, 20:45 CEST).
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Mio Backhaus has once again been called up to represent Germany at under-21 level, and this time he’ll be accompanied by a fellow Green-White when he travels to join up with his countrymen. Head coach Antonio di Salvo has handed a first call-up to Karim Coulibaly, with Germany set to face Northern Ireland in Braunschweig (Friday, 27th March, 18:00 CET) and Greece in Athens (Tuesday, 31st March, 18:00 CEST) in crucial European Championship qualifying matches.
Germany sit three points behind Greece in the table, who would qualify directly for the 2027 U21 European Championship in Albania and Serbia if they remain top of the group. The clear goal in these two fixtures will be to leapfrog Greece, while Coulibaly, returning from a muscle injury, can also gain valuable match fitness ahead of Werder’s season run-in.
Goalkeeper Stefan Smarkalev has been included in the Bulgaria U21 squad in European Championship qualifiers against Gibraltar (Friday, 27th March, 19:00 CET) and Azerbaijan (Tuesday, 31st March, 18:00 CEST). Samuel Mbangula will hope to feature for Belgium U21 against Austria (Friday, 27th March, 20:00 CET) and will be back in Bremen by 31st March. Salim Musah has earned his first-ever call-up as a youth international with Germany U20, facing Czechia (Thursday, 26th March, 16:45 CET) and Poland (Tuesday, 31st March, 16:45 CEST).
Mick Schmetgens (Germany U19) and Patrice Čović (Croatia U19) are fighting in a final qualifying round for a place at the U19 European Championship this summer in Montenegro. Germany faces Sweden (Wednesday, 25th March, 18:00 CET), Greece (Saturday, 28th March, 18:00 CET) and Austria (Tuesday, 31st March, 18:00 CEST), while Croatia meets Spain (Wednesday, 25th March, 15:30 CET), Norway (Saturday, 28th March, 12:00 CET) and France (Tuesday, 31st March, 12:00 CEST).
International duty at a glance
Date/Time | Home team | Away team | Werder player(s) |
Wed, 25/03, 15:00 CET | Spain U19 | Croatia U19 | Čović |
Wed, 25/03, 18:00 CET | Germany U19 | Sweden U19 | Schmetgens |
Thur, 26/03, 16:45 CET | Germany U20 | Czechia U20 | Musah |
Fri, 27/03, 18:00 CET | Austria | Ghana | Friedl, Schmid & Wöber |
~ | Germany U21 | Northern Ireland U21 | Backhaus & Coulibaly |
Fri, 27/03, 19:00 CET | Gibraltar U21 | Bulgaria U21 | Smarkalev |
Fri, 27/03, 20:00 CET | Belgium U21 | Austria U21 | Mbangula |
Sat, 28/03, 12:00 CET | Croatia U19 | Germany U19 | Čović |
Sat, 28/03, 18:00 CET | Germany U19 | Greece U19 | Schmetgens |
~ | Scotland | Japan | Sugawara |
Tue, 31/03, 16:45 CET | Poland U20 | Germany U20 | Musah |
Tue, 31/03, 18:00 CET | Greece U21 | Germany U21 | Backhaus & Coulibaly |
~ | Austria U19 | Germany U19 | Schmetgens |
~ | Bulgaria U21 | Azerbaijan U21 | Smarkalev |
Tue, 31/03, 20:45 CET | Austria | South Korea | Friedl, Schmid & Wöber |
~ | England | Japan | Sugawara |
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