Overview

• Germany will play Slovakia in Bratislava next Thursday and Northern Ireland in Cologne three days later in the opening 2026 qualifiers.
• Collins earned his spot after a breakthrough year at Eintracht with 32 competitive appearances and 20 starts, including the Bundesliga opener against Werder Bremen.
• He progressed through Germany’s youth ranks and was a regular at right-back for the U21s that reached the European Championship final against England.
• Nagelsmann also selected Eintracht captain Robin Koch, while striker Jonathan Burkardt was left out of the squad.
• Reporting from Merkur and Absolut Fussball notes Dortmund sold Collins in 2023 for about €700,000 without a buy-back or sell-on, as Eintracht have since extended him to 2030 and his reported market value has surged.