Thomas Tuchel has been named the new England manager after signing a deal that will see him lead the Three Lions through to at least the end of the 2026 World Cup finals.
The 51-year-old has enjoyed a glittering club career, winning silverware with Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. Crucially, he also has experience of leading an English club to a major trophy after a 20-month spell at Chelsea saw him claim the 2021 Champions League trophy with a win over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Guardiola was believed to be a candidate for the England job as well but the FA moved quickly to secure Tuchel, perhaps with the German also in the frame to take over at Manchester United should Erik ten Hag be sacked.
Thomas Tuchel. Our #ThreeLions head coach from 2025. 🏴
— England (@England) October 16, 2024
The FA revealed Tuchel signed his contract on October 8 after being identified as the preferred candidate by CEO Mark Bullingham and men’s technical director John McDermott.
He will be assisted by Anthony Barry, who worked under him at Chelsea and Bayern.
Tuchel said: “I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team. I have long felt a personal connection to the game in this country, and it has given me some incredible moments already. To have the chance to represent England is a huge privilege, and the opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players 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 want to thank the FA, in particular Mark and John, for their trust and I am looking forward to starting our journey together.”
Tuchel will take over on January 1 with interim boss Lee Carsley remaining in charge for the final two Nations League games against the Republic of Ireland and Greece.
His brief is to win the 2026 World Cup and give England their first major trophy since 1966.
Bullingham said: “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. Our recruitment process has been very thorough.
“Before the Euros we had a contingency plan and outlined exactly the qualities we would be looking for in a coach. Since Gareth resigned, we have worked through the candidate pool, meeting a number of coaches and evaluating them against that criteria. 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. Thomas and the team have a single-minded focus on giving us the best possible chance to win the World Cup in 2026.
“I would like to thank Lee for stepping up and doing everything we asked of him – he is a very talented coach and a major part of our England pathway. 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 begin work in January.”
As a player, Barry plied his trade in the lower leagues with the likes of Yeovil Town, Fleetwood and Wrexham but has become a sought-after coach, most recently working with Portugal under Roberto Martinez.
He said: “For any Englishman in football, working with the national team is the pinnacle and I didn’t hesitate when Thomas asked me to come and join him again. I know what a great place St. George’s Park is and how much of an advantage it gives our England teams, and the support it gives to coaches.
“This squad is very talented and have done so much to bring the country together, I look forward to meeting and working with them on this exciting project.”
Tuchel becomes the third non-Englishman to lead the Three Lions after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.
