Advertisement
World Cup: Tuchel eyeing England’s joint-best tournament finish against France
18th July, 2026 04:30 PM
England boss Thomas Tuchel believes the Three Lions still have plenty to play for ahead of their World Cup third-place play-off encounter against rivals France this Sunday, July 18, 2026.
The two sides are in Miami for the consolation clash following their agonising semi-final exits last week. England bowed out after a 2-1 defeat to Argentina; despite taking a second-half lead through Anthony Gordon, a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina struck back with two goals in the final twenty minutes to dump the English out. Meanwhile, France suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to Spain to exit the tournament at the same stage.
While England’s dreams of a first global title since 1966 ended in disappointing fashion, Tuchel insists his squad remains highly motivated.
“It is a chance to secure our best tournament result since 1966,” Tuchel said. “It is also a game against one of the biggest teams in the world.”
A victory would guide England to their joint-second-best World Cup finish in history.
The Three Lions have a poor record in this specific fixture, having lost both of their previous third-place play-offs, falling to Italy in 1990 and Belgium in 2018.
History also favours Les Bleus, with England winning just one of their last nine meetings against France, who famously eliminated them in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
Click here for the probable starting XI and match preview.
The clash comes as the German tactician defended his tactical decisions during the semi-final defeat, stressing that the Three Lions remain fully committed to closing the gap between themselves and the world’s elite football nations.
“I view them in the same way – that we were too passive,”
Tuchel maintained that he had no regrets about changing to a five-man defense. “I don’t regret my decisions. I took several decisions trusting my instinct, my intuition, and my experience… I would regret it if I didn’t help, if we didn’t react.”
Tuchel also accepted full accountability for England’s elimination. “If someone takes the blame, I take the blame,” he said. “I am the head coach. I will not engage in the ‘blame game’ because for me there is no one to blame. We feel the most pain of all, and it is our scar that we carry now.”
He explained that his players had been physically drained, allowing Argentina to take control in the latter stages. “The players literally gave everything physically. Argentina found another gear… they have the experience of winning titles together. This came into play.”
