Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck Still Out with Injury

Borussia Dortmund’s new season has started with a familiar, nagging absence: there is still no Nico Schlotterbeck marshalling the back line.

The 26-year-old has missed the entire pre-season and the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup through injury, and a firm date for his return remains out of reach. What is clear is where it all began.

Schlotterbeck has not played a competitive minute since 20 June, when he damaged his ankle in Germany’s second group-stage game of the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Ivory Coast. His tournament ended there. Dortmund’s planning for 2026/27 changed with it.

Speaking to Sky, Schlotterbeck did not dress it up. “It’s basically a long, drawn‑out story,” he said. At the World Cup, he initially tried to grit his teeth and carry on. “It wasn’t easy at the World Cup. At first, I thought it wasn’t that bad and kept playing.”

That decision turned into a long summer of rehab.

Cautious hope, no promises

Since that night in June, the left-footed centre-back has been working his way back, step by step. When Dortmund regrouped in mid-July, the internal hope was that their defensive leader might return around the first international break in September or October — either just before it or shortly after.

One thing was already certain: he would not be involved in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup showdown with Bayern Munich.

The mood around the club is cautiously upbeat, but Schlotterbeck refuses to deal in promises.

“We have to take it day by day,” he explained. “We’re trying to let it heal properly and do good work with the physios and the rehab coaches. Then I believe it won’t take much longer.”

No bold declarations. No fixed comeback game ringed in red. Just a defender who knows he cannot rush the ankle that underpins his aggressive defending and that sweeping passing range Dortmund rely on.

Leadership from the treatment room

Inside the club, his approach has not gone unnoticed. Sporting director Ole Book highlighted the influence Schlotterbeck and captain Emre Can still exert, even while sidelined.

“I see both of them fully motivated every day,” Book said earlier in the summer, speaking about the injured pair. “During their rehab, they both contribute enormously as leaders – to the team, to the togetherness, to the group. But how long it will take exactly, nobody can say – and certainly not me.”

For now, Dortmund must live without their in-demand rock at the back and the laser-guided left foot that so often launches their attacks. The medical staff will keep ticking off days, the coaches will keep shuffling their defensive options, and Schlotterbeck will keep grinding through rehab.

The real question is not if he returns to anchor this side, but how different Dortmund will look once their defensive leader finally steps back onto the pitch.