When it comes to the World Cup, there are few more authoritative voices than Martin Tyler.
The legendary commentator has worked at every tournament since the 1974 edition in West Germany and is looking ahead to next summer’s instalment in North America.
England will head across the Atlantic looking to end what will have been a 60-year wait to lift the trophy, so how does Tyler rate Thomas Tuchel’s side’s chances - and how can the Lionesses' recent European Championship success help their cause?
Martin Tyler on England’s World Cup chances
“Most England fans today weren’t alive when we won it in 1966,” Tyler tells FourFourTwo. “Winning the World Cup is a great milestone but the weight of expectation nowadays seems more like a millstone.
“Now the country is fuelled by the Lionesses’ successes of back-to-back European Championships. They did it in a thrilling way because it wasn’t a smooth ride at all.
“That has thrown down a challenge for the men’s team. Sarina Wiegman has proved that a foreign coach can work for England – Thomas Tuchel should draw heart from that. However, no-one has done it in the men’s game since the late great Sir Alf Ramsey.
“It’s a hugely competitive field, first to qualify and then be the winner from 48 teams. There will be over 100 games in the finals next year. England won with 16 countries playing – now we’ve got three times that amount.”
Tyler will be hoping to commentate next summer, which would see him return stateside following his stint calling the action at the 2025 Club World Cup - a tournament which was widely criticised.
“I really enjoyed my commentary stint in the USA,” he continues. “I believe in the concept of the Club World Cup but, in terms of the details of it, I would expect there to be changes going forward. The money was obviously a great attraction for clubs. I think it should be in the calendar, but the question is when?
“Clubs should have a global tournament like national teams. Though it wasn’t billed as a precursor to the FIFA World Cup, there will be useful lessons to come from that next year too.”
But when it comes to tournaments, nothing can top the World Cup, with Tyler having seen some of the game’s greatest-ever players in action.
“It’s a privilege to have seen all those generations from 1974 through to, hopefully, my next World Cup in 2026,” Tyler says. “What I love about football is that it’s a collective game and everybody is in it together. All parts have to function to be successful and you’re only ever as strong as your weakest link. I couldn’t list the Ballon d’Or winners because it’s the team and not the individuals that means the most to me.
“I saw Pele play live but didn’t commentate on him. I’ve called many matches involving Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and Diego Maradona and Michel Platini before them. Platini was wonderful – I watched him score back-to-back hat-tricks at the European Championship in 1984, which France won. Star players scoop all the individual awards but, to me, football’s value lies in teamwork – TV is the same.”
