World Cup winner’s brother set to switch allegiances to play at 2026 tournament

Sami Khedira’s brother could represent a different country at the 2026 World Cup to the country of his birth, Germany.

Rani Khedira has opted to represent Tunisia at this summer’s tournament.

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The Union Berlin midfielder is eligible for the Eagles of Carthage through his Tunisian father.

Despite being capped by Germany from under-15 to under-19 level, Khedira has never been called up by the senior team.

Older brother Sami, now retired from football, won 77 caps for the country of their birth and was part of the 2014 World Cup-winning squad.

As for the 32-year-old, he was called up by the under-21s but without making an appearance.

International switch

Khedira could now be just weeks away from his international debut with Tunisia.

It comes ahead of their seventh World Cup appearance at this summer’s finals in North America.

Tunisia face Haiti and Canada in friendly matches in Toronto on March 28 and 31, respectively.

Sabri Lamouchi’s side will also take on Austria and Belgium in warm-up matches on the eve of the tournament in June.

Although they have qualified for six previous World Cups, Tunisia have yet to progress beyond the group stage.

They are fresh from reaching the last 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

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Meanwhile, Tunisia’s midfield options currently feature Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri.

Tunisia have been drawn into Group F for the World Cup alongside Japan and the Netherlands.

Their group will be completed by the winner of the European play-off involving Ukraine, Sweden, Poland and Albania.

Khedira will be hoping to earn a spot in Lamouchi’s plans ahead of the tournament.

He has been enjoying an impressive goalscoring campaign for the Bundesliga side this season.

Across 23 league appearances, Khedira has scored five goals from midfield, more than any other season in his senior career.

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This term marks his fifth season with the club after arriving in 2021.

Khedira has previously enjoyed spells with Stuttgart, RB Leipzig and Augsburg.