Tuchel praises England’s determination after World Cup bronze-medal triumph
By Joel Masibo, July 19, 2026England head coach Thomas Tuchel has applauded his players’ remarkable character after they defeated France 6-4 on Sunday morning, July 19, 2026, to claim the FIFA World Cup bronze medal, sealing the country’s highest finish at the tournament in six decades.
Early dominance
England dominated the opening half, racing into a commanding 4-0 advantage before France mounted a spirited comeback after the break. However, the Three Lions held firm, with Bukayo Saka delivering a superb hat-trick to cap an impressive display.
“I cannot worship this performance and this mentality today highly enough,” Tuchel said. “We had one day less to prepare, thousands more kilometers in our bones than the opponent, and we come from the heat… but again and again, we found a way. It was normal for us to suffer, and I am very impressed that we showed the reaction we wanted.”
Saka’s three-goal performance vindicated Tuchel’s confidence in the Arsenal winger, who played a decisive role throughout the contest.
“He is a key player for me. He was excellent today and showed exactly why he is a pillar of this team,” Tuchel said.
Criticism
The England boss also reflected on the criticism he received after his side’s semifinal defeat to Argentina, insisting the team’s overall campaign should not be judged solely on that result.
“The press conference yesterday felt as if we went out in the group stage, but 24 hours later, we have the biggest success in sixty years. I take the blame for the decisions that didn’t work against Argentina, but I strongly believe we built more in this World Cup than we can lose in thirty minutes,” he said.
Although delighted with securing third place, Tuchel admitted that missing out on the World Cup final would continue to hurt.
“The pain will stay for a while. This is high-level sport. But this medal is a big shout. We have quality, we are joint-top scorers of the tournament, and this will help us move forward.”