Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has backed Florian Wirtz to be one of the “standout” players of the 2026 World Cup, as the versatile attacker seeks to put the 2025–26 club season behind him.
Amid rumored interest from Real Madrid and Manchester City, Wirtz chose Liverpool last summer in a deal that was briefly a Premier League transfer record—until the Reds broke it just over two months later by signing Alexander Isak from Newcastle United.
Wirtz has taken time to find his feet in a new league and country and, after one particularly humbling defeat to Manchester City, was branded a “little boy” by leading pundit Gary Neville. But he has been by no means Liverpool’s worst signing of a disappointing recruitment class of 2025—that title belongs to Isak. The Germany international has still managed 17 goals and assists for the Reds across all competitions and should be better for the experience come next season.
Linking up with his national team for the World Cup will take Wirtz much closer to his comfort zone. He was a starter throughout qualifying—primarily on the left wing—and recent scored twice and assisted twice in a friendly win over Switzerland.
“I hope Flo Wirtz will have a fantastic, fantastic World Cup,” Klopp told BBC Sport. “I think he has everything you need to be a standout player. I don’t want to put any pressure on the boy. I really think he showed already how good he can be in a difficult season.”
German fans will be hoping Wirtz can take his level up a notch this summer, with the four-time champions trying to bounce back from disastrous tournaments in 2018 and 2022—both ending in shock group-stage eliminations.
Which Liverpool Players Will be at the 2026 World Cup?
Liverpool are set to be well represented at the World Cup in North America. Including Wirtz, the Reds could have 12 players selected for the tournament. It could have been more, but for Hugo Ekitiké’s Achilles injury ruling him out until 2027. Curtis Jones is also unlikely to get picked by England.
Many of the others who will go played a Liverpool under Klopp.
“I hope that Andy Robertson and Alisson Becker can enjoy that when they meet each other [for Scotland vs. Brazil]. Can you imagine that you play together for such a long time and Scotland qualifies first time, I don’t know since when, for the World Cup, and you meet each other, your friends, in a game like that? I mean, that must be one of the happiest moments in your life.
“I wish Virgil [van Dijk] will have a great tournament. I really wish for Mo [Salah] that he will have a great tournament. I honestly wish that Sadio [Mané] will have a great tournament. [Alexis Mac Allister], if he won, if they win it again. It was so nice to see him with a medal around his neck.
“So many [of my] former players are part of the World Cup, which is really, really nice.”
Liverpool Players Set for 2026 World Cup Selection
| Player | Country |
|---|---|
| Alisson Becker | Brazil |
| Wataru Endo | Japan |
| Virgil van Dijk | Netherlands |
| Cody Gakpo | Netherlands |
| Jeremie Frimpong | Netherlands |
| Ryan Gravenberch | Netherlands |
| Ibrahima Konaté | France |
| Florian Wirtz | Germany |
| Alexander Isak | Sweden |
| Alexis Mac Allister | Argentina |
| Mohamed Salah | Egypt |
| Andy Robertson | Scotland |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Fantastic’—Jurgen Klopp’s Bold Florian Wirtz Prediction After Underwhelming Debut Season.
