Paul Wanner officially confirms he will represent Austria

The 20-year-old represented Germany at youth level, but confirmed long-reported rumors of a switch on Friday.

Paul Wanner has officially opted to represent Austria internationally, he revealed in a recent interview with Sky. There had long been reports of a possible switch, and the midfielder even rejected a call-up from Julian Nagelsmann in November 2024.

Still, Wanner never fully ruled out the possibility of representing Germany. Now, with the World Cup only months away, Wanner has made his decision.

“This decision was probably the hardest of my career. Because through my parents, my upbringing and the stages of my career, I truly have two hearts in my chest,” he said, as reported by Florian Plettenberg. “I feel incredibly honoured that two associations tried to convince me to play for their national team.”

Wanner was born in Austria, but grew up in Germany. He quickly progressed through the ranks with Bayern Munich’s youth academy. In January 2022, he became the youngest player to ever play for the Bavarians in the Bundesliga.

Wanner had successful loan spells in the 2. Bundesliga and Bundesliga with SV Elversberg and 1. FC Heidenheim. Last summer, Bayern sold him to Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven for a reported €15 million.

Wanner has impressed in the Netherlands and has recently established himself as a regular under Peter Bosz. He now has a big opportunity to play in North America this summer, after Ralf Rangnick led Austria to their first World Cup since 1998.

“The FIFA World Cup is a dream for every player. But like any other player, I have to earn a nomination,” said Wanner. “I’ll give everything in every match to achieve that.”

Wanner marks yet another instance of Germany missing out on a highly-rated dual national.

“I’m especially grateful to Antonio Di Salvo, Julian Nagelsmann, and the entire German Football Association: all the conversations were fair and on an equal footing, without any pressure,” said Wanner. “There were never any guarantees involved. It’s simply about what you feel.”