Tuchel and Kane are expected to lead England to victory

In recent years, England has come close to its first title since 1966 at two European Championships. In 2021, the Three Lions lost to Italy in the final (2-3 on penalties), and in 2024, they lost to Spain in the final (1-2). The coach, as in their run to the 2018 World Cup semifinals, was Gareth Southgate, who stepped down after losing the 2024 European Championship final.

By the 2000s at the latest, England was often among the title contenders at World Cups and European Championships, yet the painful moments of failure continued unabated. At the 2006 World Cup, the “golden generation” led by David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, and Wayne Rooney was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Portugal; their exit in the round of 16 at the 2016 European Championship against Iceland stands as a low point.

The 1-2 loss to the football minnow, notably after an early lead by Wayne Rooney, went down in history as the “Disgrace of Nice.” For once, no unfortunate refereeing decision, no penalty shootout, and no formidable opponent could be cited as an excuse. It was simply a historic embarrassment. Manager Roy Hodgson resigned immediately, and the defeat became a symbol of decades of English overconfidence and tournament disappointment.

Genius or fool?

Now it’s up to Thomas Tuchel to turn things around. The 52-year-old German, nicknamed “The Professor” for his flair for tactical finesse, previously coached major clubs such as Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich. As national team coach, he takes a similarly uncompromising approach as he did at the club level, where his brash manner eventually led to friction. In his World Cup squad, for example, he shows no regard for personal sensitivities. “Will his bold selections earn him a reputation as a genius or a fool?” asks the BBC.

To the surprise of many English fans, his World Cup squad is missing big names like Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, and Harry Maguire, among others. Instead of Maguire, who had a strong season at Manchester United, Tuchel selected the versatile Dan Burn of Newcastle United or Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah for his first major tournament with the English national team. In attacking midfield and on the wings, he opted for Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke (both Arsenal), and Marcus Rashford (on loan from Manchester United to FC Barcelona) alongside Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, and Anthony Gordon.

Perhaps the biggest surprise on the roster, likely due to his immense experience and leadership qualities, is defensive midfielder Jordan Henderson (35), who is playing for Brentford in the twilight of his career. Not least because of this, England is heading to North America with the most World Cup-experienced squad in the association’s history. Collectively, the players bring a combined total of 71 World Cup matches to the table.

Unbeaten heading to North America

So far, the results have proven Tuchel right. Since March 2025, the English have won ten of 13 matches under the detail-obsessed ascetic. Tuchel’s average of 2.38 points per game is the best record of any English national team coach who has held the position for more than six matches. The only losses came in friendlies against Japan and Senegal.

With eight wins in eight games and a 22-0 goal difference, England convincingly secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup finals in a group featuring Albania, Serbia, Latvia, and Andorra. Never before has a team gone without conceding a goal in a European World Cup qualifier. It was clear that Tuchel had found a viable solution in Nottingham’s Elliot Anderson for the defensive midfield role alongside Declan Rice—one of the team’s weak spots in recent years.

England aims to build on these flawless results in North America. With Croatia, Ghana (featuring St. Gallen goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi), and Panama, Tuchel’s team has not drawn an easy group, but these opponents should not pose a major stumbling block.

Just no Kane injury

The major risk factor remains the team’s reliance on Harry Kane. England is always “one Kane injury away from a veritable crisis,” according to the BBC, which backs up this claim with solid statistics: With world-class striker Kane, England has a 75 percent win rate since the 2022 World Cup (24 wins in 32 games). Without perhaps the best finisher of the modern era, that rate drops to 29 percent (2 wins in 7 games). With Kane, England scored an average of 2.3 goals per game; without him, 1.1 goals.

Even in terms of goals conceded, the absence of the hard-working captain makes a difference: the team concedes 0.5 goals per game with him, 1 without him.