"It undermines the national teams," DFB sporting director Rudi Völler asserts, calling for a drastic rule change

"It is unacceptable that players should be able to constantly choose which team they want to play for. That's not right," Völler said, criticising the current FIFA statutes. In 2020, football's world governing body relaxed its rules, letting players switch national teams if they have played no more than three senior international matches (excluding tournaments) before turning 21, and their last outing was at least three years ago.

Until recently, appearing in a competitive match for one country "locked in" that player, barring further switches. Friendly matches were the sole exception: a change of association was already permitted even before 2020. A well-known example is former Bundesliga professional Jermaine Jones, who played three friendlies for Germany in 2008 yet still switched to the United States in 2010, going on to earn 69 caps for his adopted nation.

Völler is critical of the current rules, partly because they do not help to foster a sense of identification with a national team. "Either you want to play for that country because your heart and your home are tied to it, or you don't," says the former German international striker (90 caps). "The fact that you can make your decision as late as you do now is wrong."

He therefore advocates a "simple rule": "You must decide by the age of 18 at the latest which country you will play for. That would be the best solution. That is my firm conviction."

He also highlights a frustration for national associations: investing in a young player's development only to see him choose another country at senior level. A case in point is Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Ibrahim Maza, who wore the DFB jersey at U18, U19 and U20 level but then chose Algeria, for whom he will now compete at the World Cup.

Similar dilemmas could soon recur with current Germany U21 striker Nicolo Tresoldi (Club Brugge), who is also eligible for Italy or Argentina, and with Werder Bremen centre-back Karim Coulibaly, who has represented Germany since the U17s but is being targeted by the Ivory Coast FA.

National team manager Julian Nagelsmann was asked about the growing trend of players switching national teams back in November, and he adopted a relaxed stance.

"We'll see this issue more often in the future," Nagelsmann said when asked about Maza's decision to play for Algeria. He stressed that such a choice must come from the heart and that he "only wants to convince players who genuinely feel they want to play for Germany. Otherwise, it makes no sense. If Maza feels his heart lies with Algeria, I won't stand in his way. It would be a shame to lose such talent, but representing a nation is about more than ability; it must feel right."

In the case of Jamal Musiala—currently one of Germany's best players—the DFB profited from a rule allowing association changes after youth outings. As widely reported, the Bayern Munich playmaker spent much of his childhood in England and represented the Three Lions at U15, U16, U17 and U21 level. A few months after his last appearance for England's U21s, Musiala—the son of a German mother and a Nigerian father—chose the DFB in February 2021, shortly before his 18th birthday. He then made his senior debut under Joachim Löw.

Felix Nmecha, who grew up in England, also initially played mainly for English youth teams (U16, U18 and U19) before later committing to Germany.

Besides Musiala and Nmecha, several other players in Germany's World Cup squad could have represented different countries: Aleksandar Pavlovic (Serbia), Jonathan Tah (Ivory Coast), Jamie Leweling (Ghana) and Deniz Undav (Turkey).

Tah recently revealed that the Ivorian Football Association had once tried to recruit him. "That was before the 2014 World Cup. I wasn't playing for Germany back then either. I was 17 or 18 when they first approached me. But I turned them down fairly quickly – and two or three years later I was here," said the FC Bayern centre-back, whose father hails from the Ivory Coast and who, looking ahead to the World Cup group match against the Africans, emphasised: "I have roots there and feel a connection to the country."

The Hamburg-born centre-back has progressed through the DFB's youth set-up since the U16s and made his senior debut in March 2016. He has since accumulated 45 caps and is expected to partner Borussia Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck in Germany's centre-back pairing at the World Cup.