They should skip school: Tuchel celebrates thrilling World Cup win with message to young fans
By Luke Oluoch, July 2, 2026England manager Thomas Tuchel made a comical suggestion that schoolchildren across the country should be allowed to skip classes following the Three Lions’ dramatic 2-1 World Cup win over DR Congo on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.
The post-match press conference delved into the dilemma facing parents who had to manage passionate young supporters staying up late to watch the encounter, which kicked off at 5:00 p.m. United Kingdom time.
Late kickoff time
While the clash against DR Congo was a relatively early kick-off for UK viewers, fans face a completely different challenge for the upcoming fixture against Mexico, which is scheduled to get underway at a late 1:00 a.m. UK time.
When asked if he had a message for parents whose children were determined to watch the matches live, the German tactician jokingly suggested that school-going kids should be granted a pass to miss school and enjoy the tournament.
“Write an excuse note for school and let them watch,” Tuchel said with a smile. “There is so much school to go to, but the World Cup is only every four years. Let them watch. There will be a big match in four days, and we need the support of everyone—especially the children.”
Ultimately, any lost sleep proved entirely worthwhile for the young fans.
Let the kids watch the game!
England mounted a fierce second-half comeback to edge past a stubborn Leopards side, successfully securing their place in the tournament’s Round of 16.
The Three Lions ultimately mauled the Leopards after battling in large swathes of the encounter, having gone a goal down to Brian Cipenga’s seventh-minute strike.
Anthony Gordon stepped up from the bench to twice supply Kane for the crucial double that spared Thomas Tuchel’s team of blushes and a potential early exit from the less fancied African nation.
In his reactions, Kane registered his relief at winning what he described as a crazy game.
Being ourselves
“It feels amazing to be honest. What a crazy game. They are a tough team and dangerous on the counter-attacks, but after that first break, we were much better,” Kane said.
“We spoke all week about just being ourselves. There are still things to work on for sure, and these knockout rounds are just about getting through. We are at the stage of the tournament where you have to grind wins out, and that is exactly what we did today.”