Thomas Tuchel has officially begun his role as the head coach of the England national football team, with an 18-month contract lasting until the end of the 2026 World Cup.
Tuchel’s appointment as the successor to Gareth Southgate was confirmed by the Football Association in October, but today marks his official start as the manager of the “Three Lions.” He will be assisted by former footballer Anthony Barry, with whom he has worked previously at Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
Tuchel was present at the World Cup 2026 qualifying draw in early December, where England was placed in a group alongside Albania, Serbia, Latvia, and Andorra, as reported by TCH.
After the draw, Tuchel commented: “I have great respect for Serbia and Albania. They can always surprise. They have a strong history of technical football, an emotional crowd, and exciting players. Both have two famous former players as coaches, so we must be very aware of this. England has never played Latvia, so this is a new experience for all of us, and then of course we have Andorra, where we are the big favorites.
But we must qualify, that’s the most important thing, and that’s where all our focus will go. There can be no approach other than taking it seriously, respecting it, and getting the job done.
England has the players and the qualities to go far. But now we need to prove this in the qualifiers. The gaps between the big nations are constantly closing. In every tournament, you see the same effect, where it’s becoming more and more difficult.”
Tuchel’s first match in charge will be a home game against Albania on March 21 at Wembley, followed by another home match against Latvia three days later.
