Thomas Tuchel will continue as England head coach with the full support of the Football Association, despite the gut-wrenching 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina that ended the nation's World Cup dream on Wednesday night.
England were agonisingly close to reaching their first World Cup final since 1966, having held a 1-0 lead late in the match before Argentina turned things around. Tuchel faced criticism over his substitutions as the team squandered their advantage, but FA chief executive Mark Bullingham has given the German his unequivocal backing.
Tuchel, who was initially appointed in January 2025 on an 18-month mission to win the World Cup, signed a two-year contract extension in February. He is now expected to lead England into Euro 2028, which will be hosted across England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. It was reported that Tuchel viewed guiding the side into a home European Championship as a rare opportunity.
Speaking at his post-match news conference in Atlanta, Tuchel confirmed his commitment to the role. "We keep on going with the contract until the home Euros," he said. "I'm looking forward to that even though right now it's difficult to look that far ahead."
The coach acknowledged the achievement of reaching the last four while accepting the pain of falling short. "Of course, it's a semi-final; a lot of big football nations are eliminated before the semi-final, so it is an achievement. No-one wants to hear that at the moment; me neither because we demand the most of ourselves. That's just the nature of being competitive."
Bullingham expressed his devastation at the result while praising the collective effort. "It is heartbreaking to be so close," he said. "The players and Thomas gave it everything today and the squad, coaches and staff could not have worked harder during the tournament. I would like to thank them all - and also give my heartfelt thanks to our wonderful fans here in the USA and at home."
Despite the semi-final disappointment, England's run is expected to be viewed internally as a relative success. The team still has the chance to end the tournament on a high when they face France in the bronze-medal match on Saturday at 22:00 BST. A victory would secure England's best performance at a men's World Cup since 1966.