Read for 5 minutesJune 17, 2026 12:31 PM IST
It will also be the first time coach Thomas Tuchel has led England at a FIFA World Cup as England face Croatia in their Group L opener in Dallas on Wednesday. The 52-year-old German, who was appointed England head coach in 2024, is only the third foreign coach for England in their football history with Sven Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello the first two. As England chase the World Cup trophy, a title that has eluded them since 1966, Tuchel shared that he is not yet ready to sing the national anthem ‘God Save the King’, hinting that he may sing it at the end of the tournament if England win the title. When asked if he was ready to sing the national anthem, the England coach replied in the negative.
“Not yet. I think we’re not there yet. Maybe at the very end. I’m still a bit shy. I don’t want to upset people and focus on that now,” Tuchel told the media ahead of the team’s opener. Asked if he knew the words to the national anthem, Tuchel replied in the affirmative.. “It’s not that difficult,” he added.
The German coach was appointed England head coach in March last year after Gareth Southgate resigned from the job following England’s Euro 2024 exit. In addition to coaching Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2020-2021, Tuchel has seen England win all of their FFA World Cup qualifiers, leading Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich to Ligue 1 and Bundesliga titles respectively. Under Tuchel, England have won 11 of their 14 matches, with defeats each against Japan and Senegal. Tuchel is also one of only two England managers ever to win nine of his first ten matches as England manager, and the first Glenn Hoddle. The 52-year-old, who is based in the German city of Munich, flies to England for the preparation camp and has been spending his time in England since March ahead of the World Cup preparations. Tuchel also spoke about how he felt at home when he landed in England and how he felt coaching English club Chelsea earlier in his career. “I can’t explain it but it felt like that from the first weeks at Chelsea. It felt great to be in the country and to be part of the Premier League. Every day was almost a gift. What the league brings from the players and what the fans expect from the players, the coach made me feel very comfortable. I liked it from the first day. I can’t always give enough credit to the England head coach. When I land, I say: ‘I fly home.’ I fly home to my home in London. When I land in London, it feels like home when I’m in England. Tuchel said.
Last year, Tuchel spoke about how to get the right to sing the national anthem and how to get his rights with the results. “First of all, you have a very powerful, emotional and meaningful national anthem and I couldn’t be more proud to be in charge of the English national team from the sidelines. It means everything. But I can feel it because it’s meaningful and it’s so emotional and it’s so powerful that I have to earn the right to sing it. I think it’s not just getting the results that your group has achieved, just not getting it. Doing my job properly and creating that feeling, where maybe you (in the media) sometimes say Can: ‘Now it’s time to sing that you earn it right and now you’re a proper Englishman!’ Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and get my due from you, the players, the supporters, so everyone feels: ‘He should sing it now, he belongs to us; He is the English manager, he should sing this song,” Tuchel told the media before England’s World Cup qualifiers began in March last year.