Thomas Tuchel believes he can lead England to a victorious World Cup this summer in what he hopes will be the first of multiple successes with the national team after signing a surprise contract extension.
The fresh deal means Tuchel will stay in charge until after Euro 2028, which England will co-host, barring an unexpected change in fortunes. It puts to bed speculation that he could be tempted by a high-profile club vacancy and provides all parties with certainty before their tilt at football’s biggest prize begins in June.
Asked if he thinks England can deliver in his first major tournament as a national team manager, Tuchel was unequivocal. “Yes, we believe, of course we believe,” he said. “We know how difficult it is and of course some other countries will believe as well, but we believe that we can play a strong role and we will go for it.”
Tuchel replaced Gareth Southgate in January 2025, his original contract running for 18 months. England won all eight of their World Cup qualifiers under his leadership without conceding a goal. There had been speculation that Manchester United or Real Madrid, both of whom are seeking long-term solutions in the dugout, could lure him back to club football but that prospect has now been kicked far down the road.
“There was no reason to be worried because I was obviously totally focused through the qualification period and right after that we started the talks,” he said. “I was always committed to this idea of extending the contract, the FA were always committed. There were no games, no second thoughts. The process was very straightforward.
“There is a possibility that I will be tempted to go back to club football but not in the next two-and-a-half years.”
The 52-year-old’s show of commitment removes a potential distraction. “I think it was very important that we didn’t do it just to have clarity and calmness in the World Cup, but it’s a welcome side effect now,” he said. “It’s clear, and clarity is always good. We will not get distracted by it. We have a very clear idea what we want from this group, and how we want it.”
It is a job that has grown on Tuchel, whose team laboured at times in the first half of last year – losing a home friendly to Senegal in June – before springing into life during the autumn. “I didn’t know exactly what was coming as an international manager,” he said. “It took me some months to understand it but as soon as the more condensed period arrived in September, October, November, it was the period where I felt the strongest connection to the players and to the job itself. And from there on I was fully committed to go even further.”
One of the biggest decisions in Tuchel’s in-tray is how to handle Jude Bellingham, who he criticised after a frustrated reaction to being substituted against Albania in November. Bellingham is out with a hamstring injury and may not be back in time for the March friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.
“The club is a bit more defensive on the outlook regarding the weeks of his recovery,” he said. “Jude is pushing and, as we know him, he is determined and super-professional. He will try everything to be with us in March. Of course we are in contact, that is a normal thing to do, and we wish him all the best. Whatever we can do for him, we will help and support him. It is a little race against time.”
Tuchel’s core support team of Anthony Barry, Henrique Hilário, Nico Mayer and James Melbourne have also signed new contracts to summer 2028. There is no confirmation of a break clause in his deal should England underperform at the World Cup, although the FA chief executive, Mark Bullingham, stated there were performance-related elements. “Every single person has performance conditions in their contract; you wouldn’t expect me to go into those,” he said. “I’ve got them as well, but we’re really clear that we want him coaching us in 2028.”
The announcement meant England’s fortunes in the 2026-27 Nations League draw, which took place in Brussels with Tuchel and Bullingham looking on, played second fiddle. They face a quick rematch with Croatia, against whom they open their World Cup campaign on 17 June, with Spain and Czech Republic completing their opponents in Group A3. England were promoted back to League A under the caretaker management of Lee Carsley in 2024. Wales were drawn in group A4 with Portugal, Denmark and Norway.
Other British and Irish interest was confined to League B. Scotland were drawn to face Switzerland, Slovenia and North Macedonia in group B1 while Northern Ireland will play Hungary, Ukraine and Georgia in B2. The Republic of Ireland were handed ties with Israel, Austria and Kosovo in group B3. The league phase will be contested between September and November, with the finals in June.
