Noahkai Banks has pledged his international future to the German Football Association. The 19-year-old FC Augsburg defender has chosen Germany over the United States, for whom he most recently played at youth level.

The DFB announced the talent's decision on Friday. Germany's under-21 coach Antonio Di Salvo said they had been working on securing Banks and also Karlsruhe striker Louey Ben Farhat for some time. "I am pleased that we were able to lay out a future pathway with Germany for both of them," Di Salvo said. Banks must now file a one-time change of association with FIFA to make his switch official. According to FIFA's tracking portal, that request had not yet been submitted as of Friday.

A Lengthy Decision Process

Banks, who was born in Honolulu to an American father and a German mother, moved to Germany at seven weeks old. He came through the Augsburg academy from the age of nine and has made 35 competitive appearances for the first team. After representing the U.S. At the 2023 U17 World Cup, he featured for their U19 and U20 sides. U.S. Coach Mauricio Pochettino even called him into a senior team training camp in September 2025. Banks said at the time: "I really enjoyed the camp, to be honest, because I thought as a young guy, maybe I will get treated differently." He added: "But how the guys helped me to get into the team and into the training, it was incredible."

Despite this positive experience, Banks declined an invitation to a camp in March, stating he was not ready to make a final decision. As recently as last week, Pochettino stressed that contact was ongoing and nothing had changed regarding Banks' stance. Now the decision is made, closing the door for a U.S. Program that remains thin at centre-back.

Perspective for the National Team

The commitment comes at a good time for the German national team. Under head coach Julian Nagelsmann, the side tops its World Cup group with six points from three games. Their last five matches yielded three wins, one draw and one defeat. The next fixture is an away game against the Netherlands on September 24. The current squad list shows where Banks could fit in long-term.

Banks, who had a breakthrough season with Augsburg last term, was considered a candidate for the U.S. Squad for the 2026 home World Cup. Instead, he will now look to forge a path into the German setup. His next step is official FIFA clearance before he becomes eligible for German youth national teams. The upcoming friendlies will indicate when Di Salvo can give him his first call-up.

Read the full report at ESPN Soccer