Thomas Tuchel has been appointed as the new head coach of the England men’s team, a role he will take on from January 1 until the 2026 World Cup. The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss becomes the Three Lions’ third foreign-born coach and the first from Germany. He will be assisted by Anthony Barry, who worked with him at Chelsea. The rest of his coaching staff will be confirmed at a later date.
“I am very proud to have been given the honor of leading the England team,” said Tuchel. “I have long felt a personal connection with the game in this country, and it has already provided me with some incredible moments. To have the opportunity to represent England is a huge privilege, and the chance to work with this special and talented group of players to work is very exciting.
“Working closely with Anthony as my assistant coach, we will do everything we can to make England successful and the supporters proud. I would like to thank the FA, especially Mark [Bullingham, FA CEO] and John [McDermott, technical director]for their trust and I look forward to starting our journey together.”
Tuchel was appointed after what the English Football Association described as an “extensive recruitment search that began in July”, with multiple candidates interviewed before the 51-year-old’s appointment was confirmed last week and his contract signed on October 8.
Tuchel arrives in England with a rich history of success, especially in cup competitions, even if he carries the recent scars of being the man under whom Bayern Munich’s run of eleven consecutive Bundesliga titles ended. He still has one of those to his name with the Bavarians, two French titles with Paris Saint-Germain and a string of domestic cup victories. Perhaps most impressive of all, however, is the way he turned Chelsea from mid-table wreckers to Champions League winners over the course of four months in early 2021, a period during which Tuchel also developed a deep affection for life in London.
At Wembley, Tuchel’s task will be simple. End 60 years of pain. Win a major trophy for England. It is the prize that twice slipped just beyond Gareth Southgate’s reach before he resigned after the Euro 2024 final. His temporary successor Lee Carsley never spoke with the conviction of a man who expected to be drafted from the Under-21s – he had could even know that Tuchel had already been appointed when his side lost to Greece in Thursday’s Nations League match – – with England laser-focused on a serial winner.
“We are delighted to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world, and Anthony Barry, one of the best English coaches, to support him,” said Bullingham. “Our recruitment process has been very thorough.
“Before the European Championships we had a contingency plan and outlined exactly the qualities we look for in a coach. Since Gareth resigned we have gone through the candidate pool, met a number of coaches and assessed them against those criteria. Thomas was very impressive and stood out for his enormous expertise and his drive. Anthony is a top English talent and also has international experience with the Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Portugal.
“Basically we wanted to hire a coaching team to give us the best possible chance of winning a major tournament, and we believe they will do just that. Thomas and the team have a single focus on giving us the best possible chance to win the 2026 World Cup.
“I would like to thank Lee for his commitment and for doing everything we asked of him – he is a very talented coach and an important part of our England journey. He will now focus on retaining the U21 Euro title in the summer. These are exciting times for England fans at senior and MU21 level, and we look forward to welcoming Thomas and Anthony when they start work in January.”