Thomas Tuchel commits to England through Euro 2028 after World Cup semifinal heartbreak

• Thomas Tuchel confirmed he intends to remain England head coach through UEFA Euro 2028 despite the team’s World Cup semifinal defeat to Argentina.
• The England manager defended his tactical decisions after Argentina scored twice late to secure a 2-1 victory in Atlanta.
• Tuchel rejected suggestions England suffer from a recurring psychological problem in major tournaments, insisting the defeat was decided by footballing factors.

Thomas Tuchel has confirmed he will remain England manager through UEFA Euro 2028 after defending his tactical decisions in the aftermath of the Three Lions’ dramatic FIFA World Cup semifinal defeat to Argentina.

England looked set to reach only the second World Cup final in their history after Anthony Gordon gave them the lead in the 55th minute.

Argentina responded late through Enzo Fernández before Lautaro Martínez struck the winner in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 victory and send the defending world champions into Sunday’s final against Spain.

England will now face France in Saturday’s third-place playoff.

Tuchel revealed his focus remains on finishing the tournament before turning his attention to the future, reiterating his commitment to the role after signing a contract extension before the World Cup.

“First of all, the World Cup is not over,” Tuchel said.

“There is still a match to play that we are not looking forward so much to, but there is still a match to play.”

“Then we keep on going.”

“I have a contract until the home Euros, and I’m looking forward to that, even now when it is difficult to look that far ahead.”

The Football Association continues to support Tuchel despite England’s elimination, with the German expected to lead the national team into the European Championship on home soil in 2028.

Tuchel’s substitutions came under scrutiny after England surrendered control of the contest during the closing stages.

The manager introduced Dan Burn for Reece James and Nico O’Reilly for Declan Rice in the 82nd minute as Argentina increased the pressure.

England managed just 12 percent possession between Gordon’s goal and Martínez’s winner.

Tuchel dismissed suggestions his tactical changes were responsible for the defeat.

“No, I believe that’s just the nature of the game,” he said.

“As soon as you lose, you get criticised.”

“No one knows what would have happened if we made different decisions.”

“So it makes no sense to engage in that and lose my head.”

“I’m responsible for them, I took them, so I take the criticism.”

“That’s just the way it is.”

England captain Harry Kane admitted the team became too passive after taking the lead.

“Once we went 1-0 up, we seemed to just try and hold on, which at this level is just not enough, so I’m gutted,” Kane said.

The defeat followed a familiar pattern for England after previous knockout losses in which they surrendered winning positions, including the 2018 World Cup semifinal against Croatia and the UEFA Euro 2020 final against Italy.

Tuchel rejected the suggestion those setbacks point to a deeper issue within the national team.

“I love to see these things in a football matter and through football glasses,” he said.

“First of all I always think they are solvable on the football field.”

“I don’t believe so much in an English thing and in a curse or whatever, or in history repeating itself in these moments.”

“It’s different coaches, different players, different situations and different opponents.”

“So I believe in the football thing, which for me still as a football coach cost us today because I think we were just not active enough in any structure.”

England will conclude their World Cup campaign against France before Tuchel begins preparations for the next chapter of his tenure, with qualification for UEFA Euro 2028 becoming the team’s next major objective.