Tuchel vows to stay as England boss despite World Cup semi-final exit and sack calls

Thomas Tuchel has declared he is fully committed to remaining England manager through to Euro 2028, despite mounting calls for his dismissal following a 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina at the 2026 World Cup in North America.

The German coach was unequivocal when asked about his future in the aftermath of the loss. “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,” Tuchel said, adding that he retains full appetite for the job: “Yes, 100%. There is still enough to improve and I am more than happy to do that. I’ve loved every day of the World Cup.”

The scrutiny is sharpened by comments Tuchel himself made at his unveiling as England head coach in 2024, when he acknowledged the stakes plainly: “If we decide it was a failure, then we will not continue.” Asked at the time whether the World Cup represented a “win or bust” scenario, he was characteristically philosophical. “No one can predict the future. It feels absolutely right for me to do so, it feels clear and it feels easy for me to explain. When it’s easy to explain, it’s normally good.”

Ahead of the tournament, Tuchel had set an unambiguous target for the squad. “The goal is to try and win it. We don’t want to be shy about it, but also to respect the game and our opponents and the obstacles that come with the tournament itself,” he said during the final squad announcement.

England’s World Cup campaign is not yet over. The Three Lions face France in the third-place play-off at Miami Stadium on Saturday, with kick-off at 10pm BST.

Once the tournament concludes, attention will quickly turn to the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group stage. England have been placed in Group A3 and open their campaign on 26 September against Spain at Wembley Stadium.