Thomas Tuchel hired as England head coach ahead of 2026 World Cup

Tuchel succeeds one of England’s most successful coaches, Gareth Southgate, who led the country to back-to-back European Championship finals.

File image of Thomas Tuchel. | Photo Credit: AP

Thomas Tuchel was hired as England’s coach on Wednesday and will take on the challenge of ending the national team’s decades-long wait for a trophy.

The German, who previously managed Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, will begin his tenure in January ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the United States.

The English Football Association said on Tuchel had been identified as the “preferred candidate” after what it described as an extensive search to replace Gareth Southgate, who stepped down after the European Championship in July.

Tuchel won major trophies in Germany, France and England and is England’s third foreign coach, after the late Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. He succeeds one of England’s most successful coaches in Southgate, who led the country to back-to-back European Championship finals and a World Cup semifinals.

Southgate stepped down after eight years following defeat to Spain in the final of Euro 2024.

The FA said it had interviewed several candidates before deciding on Tuchel.

Tuchel won European club football’s biggest prize when leading Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2021. He has won league titles with PSG in France and Bayern in Germany.

He takes on the England job after leaving Bayern at the end of last season.

The 51-year-old Tuchel fits the FA’s remit of hiring a coach who has delivered at the highest level and also knows the English game following his time with Chelsea.

The FA said in July that it wanted someone with “significant experience of English football, with a strong track record delivering results in the Premier League and/or leading international competitions.” It also said the new coach would develop the team to “win a major tournament and be consistently ranked as one of the top teams in the world.”

As manager of Chelsea, Tuchel beat Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to win the Champions League within months of taking the job. He also won the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup with the Premier League club.

England’s only major trophy was the World Cup in 1966