The next time England take to the pitch they will have Thomas Tuchel as their new manager. The German will take over The Three Lions at the start of next year and the ambition is clear – to win the 2026 World Cup. Anything less than that and Tuchel’s tenure as England manager will be considered a failure.
This might seem like an impossibly high bar to set, but this is the level England are operating at right now. Having made the final of two of the last four major tournaments (Euro 2020 and Euro 2024), The Three Lions have established themselves as genuine contenders at the top of international soccer – and their squad continues to get stronger.
England’s recent UEFA Nations League victories over Greece and the Republic of Ireland highlighted this strength. Missing a number of key players, Lee Carsley gave opportunities to the likes of Anthony Gordon, Lewis Hall, Conor Gallagher and Taylor Harwood-Bellis, all of whom demonstrated their quality.
Angel Gomes was another player who emerged as a genuine option for England during their Nations League campaign which saw them promoted back to League A. The cobwebs of the Gareth Southgate era were blown away by Carsley’s willingness to experiment. Tuchel will now have a better idea of what exactly he has within the pool.
Of course, the former Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager will have already known about England’s top talents. Harry Kane is arguably the best centre forward in world soccer right now, and someone Tuchel coached during his time at Bayern Munich. Jude Bellingham might be the best midfielder in the sport at this moment in time.
Phil Foden and Cole Palmer are two of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League with Declan Rice the best number six behind Rodri. Then there’s John Stones who still doesn’t receive the credit he deserves for the role he plays for club and country. There are few better modern centre backs than the Manchester City defender.
In all areas of the squad, England have top quality options. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish, Ollie Watkins, Curtis Jones, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford, Levi Colwill, Morgan Rogers, Jarrod Bowen, Dominic Solanke, Morgan Gibbs-White, Rico Lewis, Kyle Walker… no national team has the depth that England currently boasts.
It used to be the case that France had a national team squad deeper than any other. Didier Deschamps’ team reached the final of three major tournaments between 2016 and 2022, winning the 2018 World Cup. However, Les Blues have since lost Antoine Griezmann with Paul Pogba no longer a factor at the elite level.
Germany are at a low ebb in terms of talent production at the top level while the same could be said of Italy who haven’t qualified for the last two World Cups. Portugal and Spain both have teams packed full of talent, but neither have the sheer number of options England have in all areas of the squad.
“I think we are in a good position to do that,” Carsley said about England’s chances of winning the 2026 World Cup. “I think we have the talent to do it. I have been lucky now to be at the last couple of World Cups and the timing of the players being in form, physically and mentally, at the right time, picking the right squad. We have got all of the tools. We just need to play them in the order.”
England have been here before. They were widely fancied to win the 2006 World Cup when many believed The Three Lions had the strongest team in international soccer. This was a side that featured the likes of Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Ashley Cole and others, but only ever made it as far as the quarter-finals of a World Cup.
Tuchel must devise a system to get the best out of the players he has inherited from the previous regime, but he must also cultivate a culture that allows England’s stars to shine. If Tuchel can achieve those things, it will take something extra to beat The Three Lions in 2026. Winning the World Cup is the final step they have left to take.
