Thomas Tuchel's Leadership of England Ahead of Euro 2028
Thomas Tuchel will lead England into Euro 2028 despite the storm now raging around him.
The 52-year-old, brought in to replace Gareth Southgate in November 2024, retains the backing of the Football Association after the World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina – a loss that has reopened old wounds and sharpened questions about his approach on the biggest stage.
FA stands firm after Atlanta heartbreak
For more than an hour in Atlanta, it looked like Tuchel was about to do what Southgate never quite managed. Anthony Gordon’s strike had England on course for a first men’s World Cup final since 1966, a breakthrough moment decades in the making.
Then came the retreat.
Tuchel’s changes, designed to protect the lead, dragged England deeper and invited Argentina forward. The momentum turned, the pressure mounted, and the semi-final slipped away in a late 2-1 defeat that felt painfully familiar. A new manager, the same gnawing sense of what might have been.
The German’s decision-making has been hammered since the final whistle, yet the FA is not flinching. The Press Association understands Tuchel still enjoys full support at Wembley, and his position is not under threat.
Contract for a home Euros
Tuchel’s original contract covered only this World Cup cycle. In February, though, the FA doubled down, handing him an extension through to 2028 – a clear signal they see him as the man to front a home European Championship.
He does not intend to walk away.
“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 defeat, speaking through the rawness of a night that had slipped from his grasp.
Back at England’s Kansas City base, the mood was sombre but not mutinous. FA chief executive Mark Bullingham moved quickly to underline the organisation’s stance and to defend the work of the manager and his players.
“It is heartbreaking to be so close,” Bullingham 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.”
No early flight home
England cannot simply disappear into the night. There is still one more game, one more test of character, and it comes in the form of a third-place play-off that nobody really wants.
The squad will return to Miami, a week on from their quarter-final win over Norway at the Hard Rock Stadium, to face France in a match that will feel like a comedown for two nations who expected to be contesting the trophy, not the consolation prize.
“A lot of big, big, big football nations are eliminated before the semi-final, so, yeah, it is an achievement,” Tuchel said of reaching the last four. The words were accurate, but they did little to soften the blow. “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 nature of being so competitive also puts the next game into perspective.
“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.”
The challenge now is psychological as much as physical. England have a day fewer to recover than France, and the emotional crash after a semi-final defeat is brutal.
Tuchel knows there are no magic words.
“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.”
The inquest into his tactics will not fade quickly. Nor will the sense that England again stood on the brink of history and stepped back. But with a home Euros on the horizon and the FA locked in behind him, Tuchel now faces a sharper, more personal question: can he turn this pain into the platform that finally ends England’s wait for a major trophy on home soil?
