The brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner have confirmed their intentions to participate in the World Cup with the German national basketball team. “I’ve always said that I like playing for the national team,” said Moritz Wagner of the German Press Agency.

He is a big supporter of the national team. “Everyone knows that I’m very passionate about it. Even if there’s still a lot of water running down the Spree, you never know what’s going to happen, but I’ve always said that I’m up for it.” His younger brother Franz Wagner said of the World Cup in the summer: “I would like to finish the season first and then allow myself a little break, but I would very much like to be there.”

The World Cup is from August 25th to September 10th in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.

“I think everyone is in the mood”

Both Wagners play for the Orlando Magic in the NBA, and the young team only has a theoretical chance of participating in the playoffs in the best basketball league in the world. 21-year-old Franz Wagner was one of the top performers on the way to bronze at the European Championships last summer, while his four-year-old brother had to miss the tournament due to injury.

Asked about the goals and possibilities with the German team around captain Dennis Schröder (Los Angeles Lakers), Franz Wagner answered: “It’s difficult to say what our desired result is – of course we want to win every game. But it also depends on who is there. What I can say: I think everyone is in the mood again and it was really fun last year.”

His brother Moritz said: “We have shown that we are very competitive in Fiba and of course we go there to win.”