Thomas Tuchel to Remain as England Manager for Euro 2028

Thomas Tuchel will stay on as England manager for Euro 2028 despite the storm swirling around him after the World Cup semi-final collapse against Argentina.

The 52-year-old retains the backing of the Football Association, which remains committed to the contract extension signed in February that ties him to the job through the home European Championship.

FA stands firm after semi-final pain

Tuchel arrived as Gareth Southgate’s successor in November 2024, billed as the man to push England that final step. Southgate had taken them to consecutive European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final. Tuchel was supposed to finish the job.

For a while in Atlanta, it looked like he might. Anthony Gordon’s strike had England on course for their first men’s World Cup final since 1966. They were aggressive, front-foot, alive.

Then the game turned.

Tuchel’s decision to shore things up, to lean into his more defence-minded instincts, dragged England backwards. Argentina grew, wave after wave, as England retreated. The semi-final ended in a late 2-1 defeat, a familiar script of promise, caution and regret that echoed earlier eras.

The reaction was instant. His in-game management and perceived negativity came under fierce scrutiny. Yet the FA, according to indications from within the camp, is not blinking.

Tuchel’s original deal covered only this World Cup. The extension to 2028 changed that, and he has made it clear he intends to lead England into Euro 2028 on home soil.

“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 through the rawness of the night.

Bullingham backs Tuchel and the squad

England flew back to their Kansas City base after the agonising defeat in Georgia, where FA chief executive Mark Bullingham publicly underlined his support for the manager and the group.

“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.”

The message was clear: this is not a regime on the brink. The FA sees a campaign that reached the last four, not just a night where a final slipped away.

Tuchel himself pointed to that achievement, even as he admitted nobody wants to hear it in the immediate aftermath.

“A lot of big, big, big football nations are eliminated before the semi-final, so, yeah, it is an achievement,” he said. “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.”

Unwanted assignment: France in the play-off

England’s World Cup is not over. Not yet.

They head back to Miami, a week after their quarter-final win over Norway at the Hard Rock Stadium, for a third-place play-off against France that nobody truly craves.

“The nature of being so competitive also puts the next game into perspective,” Tuchel said. “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.”

That is the immediate test: can a wounded group raise themselves for a game that offers no glory, only a measure of character?

Tuchel kept his words to the players brief in the dressing room.

“I didn’t say a lot,” 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 rage on, and the debate over England’s identity under Tuchel will not quieten quickly. But the FA has chosen its path: the same man who was blamed for inviting Argentina on will be the one leading England out when Euro 2028 kicks off on home turf.