This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.
Two storks stand in their nest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A snail looks up as it carries its house on the back at a terrace in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Thursday Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Icelandic horses play at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Two storks stand in their nest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A flock of birds fly past turbines at a wind farm, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, near Spearville, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
A crow and a seagull fight for a prey in Tallinn Bay, Tallinn, Estonia, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Two storks stand in their nest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A Stag in rut bellows in early morning mist Bushy Park southwest London, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Deer cross a road in the woods of the Taurus region near Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A deer walks on a road in the woods of the Taurus region near Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A one horned rhinoceros and its calf graze in Pobitora wildlife sanctuary on the outskirts of Guwahati, India, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
A Stag in rut bellows in early morning mist Bushy Park southwest London, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
A raptor after killing a pigeon in a garden in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Geese stand on an outdoor table in a flooded neighbourhood in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
A spider waits for his prey at the center of its net covered by water droplets in the forest outside Tallinn, Estonia, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A visitor looks at male Hippo Tony, at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Giraffes roam their enclosure at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Two-month-old baby hippo Moo Deng and her mother Jona are seen at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A swan family watches Sunday walkers at Lake Baldeney in Essen, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A fourteen-pointer rests in the forest as rutting time begins in the Taunus region in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Seagulls fly over Al Arish beach, 50 km (32,5 miles), West of Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip in Al Arish, Egypt, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
A lion cub, born on July 31, and mother "Indi" play in an area visible to zoo visitors for the first time, at Schwerin zoo, in Schwerin, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Jens Büttner/dpa via AP)
A fawn and its mother stand together in a forest of the Taunus region in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Two cows and a stork stand in the drizzle on a pasture in the Taunus, Germany, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)
A beetle basks in the sun on a city meadow in Tallinn, Estonia, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A stork stands in the nest in Wehrheim, near Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A bee and a sunflower are silhouetted against the setting sun in a field Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, near Lawrence, Kan. The field, planted annually by the Grinter family, draws thousands of visitors during the weeklong late summer blossoming of the flowers. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
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Two storks stand in their nest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A snail looks up as it carries its house on the back at a terrace in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Thursday Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Icelandic horses play at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Two storks stand in their nest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A flock of birds fly past turbines at a wind farm, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, near Spearville, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
A crow and a seagull fight for a prey in Tallinn Bay, Tallinn, Estonia, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Two storks stand in their nest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A Stag in rut bellows in early morning mist Bushy Park southwest London, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Deer cross a road in the woods of the Taurus region near Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A deer walks on a road in the woods of the Taurus region near Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A one horned rhinoceros and its calf graze in Pobitora wildlife sanctuary on the outskirts of Guwahati, India, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
A Stag in rut bellows in early morning mist Bushy Park southwest London, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
A raptor after killing a pigeon in a garden in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Geese stand on an outdoor table in a flooded neighbourhood in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
A spider waits for his prey at the center of its net covered by water droplets in the forest outside Tallinn, Estonia, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A visitor looks at male Hippo Tony, at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Giraffes roam their enclosure at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Two-month-old baby hippo Moo Deng and her mother Jona are seen at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
A swan family watches Sunday walkers at Lake Baldeney in Essen, Germany, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
A fourteen-pointer rests in the forest as rutting time begins in the Taunus region in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Seagulls fly over Al Arish beach, 50 km (32,5 miles), West of Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip in Al Arish, Egypt, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
A lion cub, born on July 31, and mother "Indi" play in an area visible to zoo visitors for the first time, at Schwerin zoo, in Schwerin, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Jens Büttner/dpa via AP)
A fawn and its mother stand together in a forest of the Taunus region in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Two cows and a stork stand in the drizzle on a pasture in the Taunus, Germany, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)
A beetle basks in the sun on a city meadow in Tallinn, Estonia, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A stork stands in the nest in Wehrheim, near Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A bee and a sunflower are silhouetted against the setting sun in a field Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, near Lawrence, Kan. The field, planted annually by the Grinter family, draws thousands of visitors during the weeklong late summer blossoming of the flowers. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Florian Wirtz is only 21 and he's already one of the most experienced players in a new-look Germany team.
As Germany switches focus to the 2026 World Cup, injuries, retirements and a short-term focus on Euro 2024 have left it with a Nations League squad that lacks international experience but isn't especially young either.
Wirtz, the star attacking midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen, is the second youngest player in the squad but also the fifth most experienced player on 25 caps, as Germany prepares to play Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday and the Netherlands on Monday.
None of the three goalkeepers in the squad — Oliver Baumann, Alexander Nübel and Oliver Blaswich — have ever played for Germany. With Barcelona's Marc-André ter Stegen injured for months to come, one of them will have to step up.
Six of coach Julian Nagelsmann’s preferred players were unavailable with injuries as of Tuesday; Leipzig left back David Raum the latest to drop out. New faces such as Jamie Leweling, Jonny Burkardt and Tim Kleindienst are Bundesliga regulars but untested at international level.
“Though it's a shame that this time we have to do without some injured regulars who contributed through the home Euros in the summer, we're very much looking forward to seeing our new players in the team environment and in training,” coach Julian Nagelsmann said on Monday in remarks reported by dpa.
Even before Bayern's Jamal Musiala, Arsenal's Kai Havertz and West Ham's Niclas Füllkrug all dropped out injured, Germany's squad was looking threadbare after a spate of high-profile retirements following the run to the quarterfinals at Euro 2024.
Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer, Ilkay Gündogan and Thomas Müller called time on Germany after Euro 2024, taking a combined 451 caps' worth of experience with them.
There's a wider effect, too, from the pressure Germany felt to succeed when it hosted Euro 2024.
Short-term thinking was Germany's official policy when Nagelsmann was appointed last year on a contract that ran only through to Euro 2024, and he focused on getting a misfiring group of experienced players to gel again. Nagelsmann later extended his stay through to the 2026 World Cup.
Germany can usually count on Musiala and Wirtz, two of the brightest young talents in world soccer, but other young players once hyped as Germany's future have yet to break through.
Borussia Dortmund's Karim Adeyemi has lacked consistency and had injury problems. Striker Youssoufa Moukoko and defender Armel Bella-Kotchap were Adeyemi's teammates at the 2022 World Cup but haven't been selected since. Progress seems to have stalled for 21-year-old forward Maximilian Beier since he joined Dortmund this season, too.
One player who'll be expected to perform against Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Netherlands is Bayern forward Serge Gnabry, back in the team after 11 months away.
In a sign of how much things have changed, Gnabry's 22 international goals mean he's scored more for Germany than everyone else in the squad put together.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz watches during a training session ahead of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan in Leverkusen, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)