England coach has an urgent request
Thomas Tuchel: “I beg FIFA”
June 18, 2026 – 12:24 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The former Bayern coach has an emotional World Cup debut as England coach. But he couldn’t fully enjoy the experience.
Thomas Tuchel celebrated a successful debut in the 4-2 win against Croatia World Cup. After the game, England’s national coach spoke about his emotions – and about one point that clearly bothered him.
For the 52-year-old, the first World Cup game of his coaching career was a special moment. Nevertheless, Tuchel had criticism of the proceedings before kick-off. “I’m begging FIFA to change the position of photographers during the national anthems,” he said after the Three Lions’ opening win at Dallas Stadium.
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The reason: “It was a very special moment and I stood in front of a wall of 50 photographers, half a meter away, and I couldn’t see a single player,” said Tuchel. “And that kind of ruined the experience a little bit.”
Tuchel: “I don’t want to be anywhere else in the world”
However, that didn’t change the joy of the successful start. The World Cup is an experience for him that he could hardly have imagined before. When he started his coaching career, something like this was “too big to dream of,” said the former Bundesliga coach.
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He now understands “what it means to be part of a World Cup. I don’t want to be anywhere else in the world but here.”
Tuchel was also in a good mood off the pitch. At the press conference after the win against Croatia he was addressed as “professor” by a Colombian reporter. The England coach responded with a smile and thanked him.