Sacked or saved? The verdict is in for Thomas Tuchel
Despite fierce criticism of his tactical calls following the semi-final exit against Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, the English Football Association has settled the matter of Thomas Tuchel's future in charge of the Three Lions.
England
Argentina- 96'Substitution: ↑ M. Rashford / ↓ D. Spence (England)
- 96'Substitution: ↑ I. Toney / ↓ J. Stones (England)
- 94'Yellow card: R. de Paul (Argentina)
- 92'⚽ Goal for Argentina (L. Martinez)
- 90'Final score: England 1 - 2 Argentina
- 85'⚽ Goal for Argentina (E. Fernandez)
- 82'Substitution: ↑ N. O'Reilly / ↓ D. Rice (England)
- 82'Substitution: ↑ D. Burn / ↓ R. James (England)
- 81'Substitution: ↑ L. Martinez / ↓ N. Tagliafico (Argentina)
- 72'Substitution: ↑ N. Otamendi / ↓ L. Martinez (Argentina)
- 72'Substitution: ↑ G. Montiel / ↓ N. Molina (Argentina)
- 72'Substitution: ↑ R. de Paul / ↓ G. Simeone (Argentina)
- 72'Substitution: ↑ E. Konsa / ↓ A. Gordon (England)
- 64'Substitution: ↑ N. Gonzalez / ↓ L. Paredes (Argentina)
- 55'⚽ Goal for England (A. Gordon)
- 51'Yellow card: C. Romero (Argentina)
- 45'Half-time
- 42'Yellow card: L. Martinez (Argentina)
- 37'Yellow card: E. Anderson (England)
- 0'Kick-off
The English Football Association (FA) has settled the matter of German head coach Thomas Tuchel's future, just days after England's World Cup 2026 semi-final exit against Argentina (1-2), a match that sparked a wave of criticism over his tactical choices.
A painful defeat to Argentina
England had taken the lead through Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute, before Argentina turned the match around with two late goals from Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez, snatching their place in the final. Tuchel's 82nd-minute substitutions, bringing on Dan Burn for Reece James, and Nico O'Reilly for Declan Rice, drew sharp criticism from pundits and former players, who blamed them directly for the late defensive collapse.
The federation's decision: keeping Tuchel
Despite the scale of the criticism, the FA chose not to sack Tuchel and to continue with him ahead of Euro 2028. The German coach had already signed a contract extension to 2028 back in February, his original deal having only covered the World Cup, so that he can lead the Three Lions at the European Championship being hosted on home soil.
Tuchel defends himself
For his part, Tuchel confirmed his intention to carry on in the role, defending his tactical decisions in the semi-final: "No, I believe that's just the nature of the game," he said in response to the criticism. England now turn their attention to the 2026 World Cup third-place match against France on 18 July, their final fixture of the tournament before shifting focus to Euro 2028.
