England’s march to the USA and the echoes of qualifications past
23.03.26, 15:30 Updated 21.03.26, 18:59 4 Minute Read
Clive Hetherington
England expects World Cup qualification. It is the minimum requirement – and Thomas Tuchel was acutely aware of that when he took the job of head coach in October 2024.
The German duly delivered on his brief a year later, but realistically it was never in doubt as the Three Lions preserved a proud 100 per cent qualifying record without conceding a goal.
Performance‑wise, it was an underwhelming start to Tuchel’s tenure, including a 3–1 home friendly defeat by Senegal, but more convincing victories followed in the later stages of qualifying. A contract extension through to Euro 2028 was already in the pipeline.
Tuchel arrived with the pedigree to take on one of football’s most demanding posts. Replacing Jürgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund was a breakthrough moment, and he went on to win two Ligue 1 titles with Paris Saint‑Germain before joining Chelsea midway through the 2020–21 season.
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