England coach Thomas Tuchel has come under fire following the Three Lions’ heartbreaking elimination by Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
England were just five minutes away from reaching their first World Cup final since 1966, but failed to protect a 1-0 lead after Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute strike. Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez scored late goals to send Lionel Messi’s Argentina into a second successive World Cup final.
The defeat has sparked widespread criticism of the German coach, with many blaming him for his substitutions and for opting to defend too deep in the closing stages.
However, Tuchel believes criticism is simply part of football.
“I believe that’s just the nature of the game. As soon as you lose, you get criticized. That’s just what it is, and, you get criticized after. No one knows what would have happened if we made different decisions,” he said. “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 will now face France in the third-place playoff, but Tuchel admitted it is the one match at the World Cup that no one wants to play.
“Nobody of these players, nobody of the French players want to play for this match,” he said. “They want to play in the final. We gave everything to be in the final. Everyone plays to win the World Cup, but it is what it is.”
On his future with England, Tuchel said: “I have a contract until the home Euros, and I am looking forward to that. Even like now, it’s difficult to look that far ahead.”
