Noahkai Banks, top dual-national prospect, commits to Germany in blow to USMNT
Summary
Noahkai Banks, a young soccer defender with both American and German citizenship, has decided to play for Germany instead of the United States. He was recently named to Germany’s Under-21 team for important European Championship qualifying games.Key Facts
- Noahkai Banks is 19 years old and has both American and German parents.
- He has played for US youth soccer teams, including the U-17 World Cup in 2023.
- Banks must file a one-time switch with FIFA to officially play for Germany since he played in official US competitions.
- Germany’s U-21 coach Antonio Di Salvo confirmed Banks and another player chose to represent Germany.
- Banks played 23 league games last season for German club FC Augsburg and is a regular starter this season.
- US national team coach Mauricio Pochettino called Banks for friendlies in 2025, but Banks did not play.
- Banks declined a US national team call-up in March 2026, the last before the 2026 World Cup.
- The US team still hoped Banks might be part of their World Cup squad due to shortages at the defender position.
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