Men’s EuroHockey U21 Championship preview – Germany
Appearances: 21
Best performances: 1st (1977*, 1981*, 1984*, 1988*, 2019) – * as West Germany
With 13 of the Junior World Cup winning side, Germany arrive in Valencia with a strong pedigree and belief that they can win their second U21 Euros since 1992.
Coach Mirko Stenzel is able to name Julijan Cerkez, Jasper Ditzer, Paul Glander, Lukas Kossel, Lenn Hoffmann, Titus Wex, Johann Wehnert, Ferdinand Steinebach, Maximilian Stahmann, Benedikt Geyer, Ben Hasbach, Jonah von Gersum and Paul Babic in his panel from that historic triumph success in India last December.
Adding to the squad are John Dammertz and Vincent Scholz who were part of Germany’s victorious U18 European Championship-winning team in 2025, alongside William Sanda, one of the youngest members of the group.
Sanda enjoyed a break-out season on the club front with Uhlenhorst Mülheim while Scholz was with the young player of the tournament at the EuroHockey Indoor Championship in Heidelberg in January.
** 24 EuroHockey U21 Championship matches from Pitch 1 in Valencia will be broadcast live on www.eurohockeytv.org with an €8.99 event pass (Click the graphic for more information)
Glander is the team’s most capped player with 63 underage international appearances and 25 goals while Mannheimer HC forward Hasbach has established himself as one of the most prolific scorers with 42 goals in 55 German appearances.
Germany are particularly strong defensively. Goalkeepers Julijan Cerkez and Jasper Ditzer both played key roles in the World Cup-winning campaign with the latter a shoot-out hero, while the backline features several players who have already become regulars at Bundesliga level.
Among them are Hamburg Polo Club pair Lukas Kossel and Johann Wehnert, who helped their club to their maiden 2026 German outdoor championship.
There is also senior international experience within the squad. Paul Babic earned his first cap for the German men’s national team during the FIH Pro League in Berlin in June.
Preparation has been extensive. Before travelling to Valencia, Germany played three warm-up matches during a training camp in Wavre, Belgium, facing Belgium twice and India once at the newly built Belfius Hockey Stadium.
Germany have been drawn in Pool B alongside Belgium, France and Switzerland. Their campaign begins against Belgium on July 26 before meetings with France on July 27 and Switzerland on July 29.
Their last continental title came in 2019 – also in Valencia – when future senior internationals Raphael Hartkopf, Teo Hinrichs, Thies Prinz, Benedikt Schwarzhaupt and Justus Weigand helped secure gold.
| # | Name | Caps | Goals | Goals |
| 3 | Ben HASBACH | 55 | 42 | Mannheimer HC |
| 4 | Bennet NESS | 4 | 0 | Hamburger Polo-Club |
| 5 | Lenn HOFFMANN | 21 | 2 | Mannheimer HC |
| 10 | Paul GLANDER (C) | 63 | 25 | Rot-Weiss Köln |
| 11 | Paul BABIC | 24 | 6 | Rot-Weiss Köln |
| 12 | Titus WEX | 34 | 4 | Harvestehuder THC |
| 13 | Jonas VON GERSUM | 21 | 12 | Harvestehuder THC |
| 14 | Vincent SCHOLZ | 4 | 0 | Harvestehuder THC |
| 15 | William SANDA | 10 | 1 | HTC Uhlenhorst Mülheim |
| 18 | Ferdinand STEINEBACH | 19 | 8 | Club an der Alster |
| 19 | John DAMMERTZ | 8 | 2 | Zehlendorfer Wespen |
| 20 | Lasse DUNCKER | 4 | 3 | Uhlenhorster HC |
| 23 | Johann WEHNERT | 31 | 3 | Hamburger Polo-Club |
| 24 | Benedikt GEYER | 29 | 6 | Mannheimer HC |
| 33 | Maximilian STAHMANN | 37 | 3 | HTC Uhlenhorst Mülheim |
| 37 | Lukas KOSSEL | 29 | 7 | Hamburger Polo-Club |
| 47 | Julijan CERKEZ (GK) | 18 | 0 | TSV Mannheim |
| 77 | Jasper DITZER (GK) | 27 | 0 | Harvestehuder THC |
| Martin SCHULTZE | Team Leader | |||
| Markus SCHUBERT | Team Manager | |||
| Mirko STENZEL | Head Coach | |||
| Kais AL SAADI | Assistant Coach | |||
| Patrick “Harry” FRITSCHE | Assistant Coach | |||
| Eike BUMB | Medical Doctor | |||
| Marvin KÜHN | Physiotherapist | |||
| Benjamin KÜHN | Physiotherapist | |||
| Cedric WEHMEIER | Physical Trainer | |||
| Maximilian SCHENDEL | Video Technician | |||
