Nico Schlotterbeck injury leaves Germany with a defensive problem

Nico Schlotterbeck's World Cup run has been cut short by a torn medial ligament in his left ankle. Germany lost the Borussia Dortmund defender at half-time against Germany vs Ivory Coast, and Julian Nagelsmann said the MRI result “doesn’t look good”. Germany still won 2-1, with Deniz Undav scoring both goals, but the bigger issue is the back line they now have to rebuild before Ecuador.

The injury and the medical update

There is still some uncertainty around the exact moment the damage was done, with one account putting the problem down to a first-half issue and another saying it became clear after the match had reached the break. What is not in doubt is the outcome. Schlotterbeck was replaced after 46 minutes, and the MRI confirmed he had torn the medial ligament in his left ankle.

Nagelsmann was blunt about the outlook. He said: “Nico is suspected to have sustained a ligament injury. It’s not looking good”. That is the clearest sign of how serious this is for Germany, because Schlotterbeck had already played 139 World Cup minutes in 2026 and started two matches in the tournament. He was still functioning well enough against Ivory Coast to be given a 6.7 rating before being forced off.

Germany's immediate fallback

Antonio Rüdiger is the obvious short-term fix. Nagelsmann praised him after the half-time change, saying: “Antonio did well, very focused”. Per Mertesacker was more cautious, saying, “Antonio Rudiger did okay considering the situation. Coming in as a centre-back is never easy. They defended well to see it out. But it would be a significant loss.”

That is the important part for Germany now. Rüdiger looked capable enough in the match, but Schlotterbeck had been part of a back-line setup that was starting to settle, and Mertesacker said the feeling was that things were “starting to click” with Jonathan Tah and Schlotterbeck. Schlotterbeck also arrived at the tournament in form, after an 8.2 rating against Curaçao in Germany’s opener.

Germany have back-to-back wins, but the next listed fixture is Ecuador on 2026-06-25. For Nagelsmann, the issue is not whether the team can cope for one night. It is whether he can put together a back four strong enough to carry on without one of his most established starters.