Thomas Tuchel to Lead England into Euro 2028 After World Cup Setback
Thomas Tuchel will lead England into Euro 2028 despite the storm swirling around him after the World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina.
The 52-year-old, appointed in November 2024 to push England beyond Gareth Southgate’s near-misses, retains the Football Association’s backing after a 2-1 loss in Atlanta that reopened old scars and raised new questions.
FA stands firm after Atlanta anguish
Anthony Gordon’s first-half strike had England on the brink of history. For long stretches, it felt like the night the narrative finally changed – a first men’s World Cup final since 1966 within touching distance, Argentina rocking, England in control.
Then came the turn.
Tuchel’s changes, designed to tighten up and protect the lead, dragged his team deeper and deeper. The initiative slipped. Argentina grew. England retreated. The semi-final, played out in the heat and noise of Georgia, swung away from them and ended in a late 2-1 defeat that felt grimly familiar.
Those defence-minded substitutions have put Tuchel under fierce scrutiny. The criticism has been sharp, the debate immediate. But the FA has not blinked.
His original contract only covered this World Cup. In February, he signed an extension through to 2028, and the plan has not changed: Tuchel is expected to lead England into a home European Championship.
“I have a contract until the home Euros and I’m looking forward to that even like now it is difficult to look that far ahead,” he said after the Argentina loss, speaking with the flat tone of a man still processing what had slipped away.
Back at England’s Kansas City base, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham moved quickly to reinforce the manager’s position and the work of the group.
“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. We felt your support every step of the way and we are all so disappointed not to go further.”
The message was clear: the pain is real, the project continues.
A semi-final, and a game nobody wants
England’s tournament is not over. Not yet.
They head back to Miami, a week after beating Norway at the Hard Rock Stadium in the quarter-finals, for a third-place play-off against France that nobody truly craves.
“A lot of big, big, big football nations are eliminated before the semi-final, so, yeah, it is an achievement,” Tuchel said, acknowledging the scale of reaching the last four before quickly undercutting it. “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.”
The reality of elite sport bites hardest in weeks like this. One game from the final, one goal up, then gone. Now, a match that feels like a coda.
“The nature of being so competitive also puts the next game into perspective,” Tuchel added. “Nobody of these (England) players, nobody of French players wants to play this match. They want to play in the final. We gave everything to be in the final.
“Everyone plays to win the World Cup, but it is what it is. We have for a day less and to recover, but we will do it professionally, of course.”
Professionalism is the minimum demand. Reaction is the real test.
Hurt, reflection and a hard reset
Tuchel cut a restrained figure in the immediate aftermath. There was no grand speech, no attempt to dress the wound.
“I didn’t say a lot (to the players afterwards),” he admitted. “Nothing what you say in the dressing room can take away the pain or the disappointment, of course.
“We all know these moments, so I said let’s take it with respect, let’s digest it first. Accept that we gave everything. That is a big part in a defeat.
“Did we do everything to arrive in this semi-final? Did we give everything? 100 per cent we did, and I think the fans will realise that and do realise that.
“The second of all is to bounce back, to react. That’s what you have to do on highest level in sports. It’s what is demanded and what we will do.”
That is the challenge now. Strip away the emotion, keep the edge, and turn a semi-final heartbreak into a stepping stone rather than another chapter in a familiar story.
The FA has nailed its colours to Tuchel’s mast. Euro 2028 will be on home soil. The question is no longer whether he stays, but what this England side will look like when the country expects them to deliver under their own sky.
