England Hires German Thomas Tuchel to Lead National Soccer Team

Thomas Tuchel, manager of the English National Team, leaves a press conference after he was announced as the new England manager at Wembley Stadium in London on Oct. 16, 2024. Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

The English National Team hired former Bayern Munich and Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel to lead the squad into the 2026 World Cup.

Tuchel is the third foreign-born coach to lead England, joining the late Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson (2001–2006) and Italian Fabio Capello (2007–2012).

Former England coach and former National Team player Gareth Southgate stepped down in July after eight years with the team. Southgate led England to the Euro 2024 final when the Three Lions lost to Spain 2–1.

England has not won a World Cup since 1966, and the country’s Football Association (FA) hopes the addition of Tuchel will change their fortunes.

At his introductory press conference, Tuchel jokingly tried to ease fans’ concerns about being from Germany, one of England’s all-time soccer rivals. England beat Germany 4–2 in the 1966 World Cup final, and have not returned to the title game ever since.

“I can just tell these supporters about my passion for the English Premier League, for the country and how I love to live here and work here,” Tuchel said at the press conference. “My memories are on the highest level and it played a huge role. Hopefully I can convince them, show them and prove to them that I’m proud to be the England manager.

“I will do everything to show respect to this role and to this country and the target for the next 18 months is nothing else other than the biggest one in world football. And everyone can be assured of that no matter what my passport says.”

Tuchel guided Paris Saint-Germain to four championships in the 2019–2020 season—Trophée des Champions, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, and the Ligue 1 title.

Tuchel’s greatest success as a manager came the Chelsea where he won the UEFA Champions League in May 2021 with a 2–1 victory over fellow English Premier League side Manchester City.

Tuchel spent his last season with Bayern Munich, the most storied club in the German Bundesliga. Tuchel helped guide English international Harry Kane to a remarkable season where he scored 36 goals in 32 league games.

The hope is that Tuchel can help England develop that same type of dangerous attack with Kane and the other forwards on the roster.

The FA is confident they have found the best man to lead England into the 2026 World Cup hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

“We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him,” FA CEO Mark Bullingham said in a statement. “Our recruitment process has been very thorough. ... Thomas was very impressive and stood out with his vast expertise and his drive. Anthony is a top English talent and also has international experience with Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Portugal.

“Fundamentally 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.”

The FA also hired Anthony Barry, a former assistant with Chelsea and Bayern Munich, as an assistant to Tuchel. Barry has National Team experience as an assistant with Portugal at the Euros this summer.