Thomas Tuchel spoke to Sky Sports activities Information‘ chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol after the 2026 World Cup qualifying draw and answered questions on a variety of massive speaking factors about him taking up as England head coach – together with whether or not Harry Kane would stay a first-choice and captain.
England’s document scorer got here in for criticism throughout Euro 2024 and was named on the bench by interim boss Lee Carsley for the must-win Nations League match in Greece final month.
Learn on to see what we realized from Tuchel about his view on Kane and his function within the squad, plus his verdict on Chelsea hotshot Cole Palmer, England’s World Cup qualifying group opponents, the place he shall be based mostly when he begins work from January 1 and whether or not he has had handover conversations with Carsley and former Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate…
England’s World Cup qualifying group
Kane seems to be set to stay captain and common starter beneath Tuchel…
“There is no want in the mean time to take a look at different choices. It is like for Harry for everybody else as effectively, we completely… I like him, for his high quality, for his management, for his character. The gamers resolve in the long run in the event that they play or they do not play, it is at all times like that.
“I’m happy to have this group of players, including Harry, big personalities and quality. The job now is to find and build the best group that people are excited to watch us, that they feel inspired watching this team.”
Tuchel shall be a high-profile presence at Premier League video games from January…
“You will see me in stadiums from January, yes. Work starts from the signature because you get engaged [in the project] and today [the draw] was the kick off for the World Cup campaign so obviously we have to be there.”
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Talking on the unveiling of a statue and mural in hishonour, England captain Harry Kane says he can’t wait to work with new head coach Thomas Tuchel
and has no intention of stopping any time quickly.
However the place will he be based mostly?
“I will not tell you my address! Otherwise you’ll be in front of my house every week! I like you but not so much!
“After all we shall be very frequently in St George’s Park [the FA’s national football centre] as a result of that is the place our base is and that is the place we wish to create an environment and that is the place we’re joyful to interact with all of the individuals who work for the FA. We wish to work together with them, we wish to use high quality and really feel the place.
“We will watch a lot of matches starting in January. I want to see the matches live, I will speak to the players – but also not interfere too much because they are players of the clubs and should focus on that. You will see us in stadiums a lot from January onwards.”
What did he consider England’s Nations League performances beneath Lee Carsley in November, after they beat Greece and Republic of Eire to win promotion again to the highest tier?
“Of course I watched the games, I wished Lee all the best and sent congratulations after. I’m happy because I thought the decision was always right that Lee does the full campaign and let him finish the job. He did excellent, the players did excellent.
“It was tough as a result of they’d loads of accidents and so they wanted a end result desperately in Greece. They delivered and obtained the job completed. Congratulations, effectively completed. We watched on the tv.”
Did England look like World Cup winners?
“I knew this earlier than and watching the matches, we’ve got the gamers, the expertise and the traits to go far. However now, to begin with, we’ve got to show it within the qualifiers. It will get nearer and nearer, the gaps between the large nations and the smaller nations. It closes each match. It is harder to win your video games, so we’ve got to point out full respect and present our high degree from March when it begins.”
How does Cole Palmer match right into a Thomas Tuchel England aspect?
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Watch in slow-motion as Cole Palmer dances by means of Tottenham’s defence earlier than Enzo Fernandez scores!
“That’s a bit too far, going into individual players! But he is definitely on form, I think everyone would agree on that. Hopefully he can still grow and keep the level up. Everyone enjoys watching him. He’s cool, composed, he’s very clinical in finishing and assisting. Very impressive at the moment.”
There was no large handover from Carsley – and no Three Lions file!
“We exchanged messages but there is no such thing as a famous dossier! We will work from January in St George’s and I hope it becomes very regular and normal that we meet and we have an exchange because I’m interested in his point of view about the nominations [selections], about the games, about the potential in the group and how he felt the group and his experiences. We will stay in contact. He is U21 coach so very close to me and we have enough time from January [to talk].”
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Lee Carsley reacted to England’s 5-0 win in opposition to Eire, which was his final as interim supervisor. Carsley hopes to fulfill with Thomas Tuchel quickly and can ship an in depth handover to the brand new supervisor.
A catch-up with Gareth Southgate is probably going in 2025, too…
“Not yet. But still that is to come. He’s a gentleman and we met before when I was at Chelsea. It was a pleasure to talk to him. Why shouldn’t I?”
Tuchel will not be taking England’s World Cup qualifying opponents calmly, with Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra drawn to play the Three Lions…
“I have huge respect for Serbia and Albania. They can always surprise. They have a strong history of football, of technical football, of emotional crowd and emotional players and emotional groups. They have famous ex-players as coaches so we should be very aware of that.
“England by no means performed Latvia, so this can be a new expertise for all of us, after which we’ve got Andorra the place we’re large favourites however we’ve got to qualify, that is a very powerful factor. That is the place all the main focus goes. There can’t be some other method than taking it critically, take it with respect and make it occur earlier than we will dream the dream.”
And finally, don’t expect him to start wearing suits…
[Speaking in a smart suit] – “Issues change! An FA tie, even! It feels snug. It won’t be my look on the sideline. I want extra freedom to maneuver round. However for the event it was good to put on!”
World Cup 2026 European qualifiers: Key dates
- Group-stage match dates: March 21-25, June 6-10, September 4-9, October 9-14 and November 13-18, 2025
- Play-off match dates: March 26-31 2026
- Closing match dates: June 11 to July 19 2026
When and the place is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 FIFA males’s World Cup takes place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
The match will happen throughout 16 cities in three North American nations: the United States, Canada and Mexico. It’s the first time a World Cup has been hosted by three nations.
The final time North America hosted the match was in 1994, when Brazil triumphed after beating Italy on penalties.
An expanded World Cup will function 48 groups – 16 greater than in Qatar 2022 – and happen throughout three host nations for the primary time.
2026 World Cup – certified groups
Solely three groups to date are positive of their place on the finals: the hosts USA, Canada and Mexico.
World Cup 2026 schedule
The complete fixture record with group video games and kick-off instances will solely be accessible after the draw for the ultimate match, which FIFA says is anticipated to happen in the direction of the tip of 2025.
However FIFA has already introduced key dates and confirmed that the opening match shall be held in Mexico Metropolis, with the ultimate going down on the New York New Jersey Stadium – house of the New York Giants and New York Jets.
Group stage: June 11-27 Spherical of 32: June 28 to July 3 Spherical of 16: July 4-7 Quarter-finals: July Sept. 11 Semi-finals: July 14-15 Third-place play-off (‘Bronze ultimate’): July 18 Closing: July 19
