The 30-year-old, who has won 77 caps for his country, was injured playing for English FA Cup winners Chelsea in a Premier League game against Newcastle United on April 22.

He immediately flew to Munich to have a piece of bone removed, but last month's operation did not go down well with Chelsea as Ballack was forced to miss his club's FA Cup final and Champions League semi-final ties.

But after several weeks of treatment, the midfielder finally threw in the towel on his chances of playing against San Marino in Nuremberg on June 2 and Solvaki in Hamburg on June 6.

Ballack told national coach Joachim Loew on Thursday that he was withdrawing from the squad.

Germany are top of Group D with a game in hand over the second-placed Czech Republic and two games in hand over the third-placed Republic of Ireland.