"The past few days have been hard to accept. My World Cup dream with the German national team, for me... sadly, it's over. So, like every other German, I will cheer for my teammates from home. Now, I'll focus on recovery to come back stronger for the 2026-2027 preseason," Gnabry wrote on Instagram on 22/4.

Gnabry's last appearance was in Bayern's 4-3 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final second leg on 15/4. The 30-year-old player exited the field in the 61st minute after sustaining a torn right adductor muscle. This injury has sidelined him for the remainder of the current season.

Before his injury, Gnabry was in excellent form for Bayern with 10 goals and 11 assists across all competitions. Photo: Reuters

His absence represents a significant blow for the German national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup. It also deprives Bayern of a key player as they pursue a treble this season. The club will be without Gnabry for both legs of the Champions League semi-final against PSG and the DFB-Pokal final, where they will face either Stuttgart or Freiburg.

Before his injury, Gnabry was in excellent form, contributing 10 goals and 11 assists across all competitions for Bayern. For the German national team, he has scored 26 goals in 59 matches. Under coach Nagelsmann, Gnabry was an indispensable player, recording three goals and one assist in 6 matches during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. He also delivered strong performances during the FIFA days camp at the end of March, scoring and assisting in the 4-3 win over Switzerland and playing a significant role in the 2-1 victory against Ghana. He is versatile, capable of playing as a winger or a number 10, a role he has often filled for Bayern this season under coach Vincent Kompany.

Germany is set to begin its 2026 World Cup group stage campaign in North America on 14/6 against Curacao. The loss of an experienced attacking threat like Gnabry, who started all three group stage matches at Qatar 2022, will present a selection headache for Nagelsmann. A similar challenge also faces Kompany at Bayern.

Gnabry joins Bayern's growing injury list, which includes: goalkeeper Sven Ulreich and young midfielders Lennart Karl and Tom Bischof. This news comes shortly after the team celebrated its 13th Bundesliga title in 14 years.

Ha Phuong