Augsburg's Noakhai Banks pledges international allegiance to Germany over USA

The 19-year-old Augsburg defender, born in Hawaii but raised in Germany, has chosen to represent Germany internationally after previously playing for the USA at youth level.

Noakhai Banks has confirmed his decision to play for Germany's national team after previously representing the United States at youth level. The 19-year-old Augsburg defender was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and earned 12 caps for the USA at U17, U19 and U20 level, including an unused substitute appearance for Mauricio Pochettino's senior team in a September 2025 friendly against Japan. However, he accepted a Germany U21 call-up and made his debut in a 4-1 victory over Malta in UEFA European Championship qualifying.

Banks, who grew up in Stuttgart from a young age, announced his decision at half-time of Augsburg's Matchday 7 fixture against Union Berlin. "The decision is final, I am now German," he said. "I thought about it for an extremely long time with my family, and I also didn't play in the World Cup in the USA. I grew up here, I feel German, and I want to wear the eagle on my chest." He made his Augsburg debut in January 2025 and has featured 36 times for the club, scoring once, though he is currently sidelined with a knee injury.