Tuchel: World Cup made England feel like my players

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Thomas Tuchel says it feels like England “are my players now” after leading them to a third-place finish at the World Cup as he now turns his attention to the Nations League.

Tuchel has been in charge of England since January 2025, leading them through World Cup qualifying before leading them through the tournament.

Despite a disappointing defeat to Argentina in the semi-finals, England still recorded their best-ever finish at a World Cup on foreign soil, claiming bronze. It is also their best result since winning the tournament in 1966.

His next competition in charge is the upcoming Nations League, where England are in Group C1, alongside Spain, Croatia and Czechia.

In the inaugural Nations League, England finished third after reaching the play-offs but have since been relegated to the second tier before earning promotion back to the top.

They will play their first four games in the extended September/October international break, and Tuchel is excited to see how his players continue to grow after the summer.

“It created a huge bond to these players,” Tuchel told former England striker Daniel Sturridge in an interview with the FA.

“It feels like they are my players now. This is the beauty of it.

“You have success, and you have painful moments together, but you have so much time together, and then you create a natural bond.

Thomas Tuchel on the moments that shaped our #ThreeLions‘ FIFA World Cup campaign.

Watch the film first on the England app from TOMORROW pic.twitter.com/icGcFh2mo7

— England (@England) September 15, 2026

“So, I’m happy to see them. I’m happy to challenge them, happy to push them, and very proud to be a part of that.

“I’m very excited. I think we got another step closer, and I think we’re there.

“It’s very difficult to prepare for a World Cup in the US, but I think it’s possible to prepare for a Euros, and we prepare in Nations League Tier One.

“The target is to have another 10 matches. We had 10 matches in the USA – eight wins, one draw, one painful loss. That is something to build on.

“We all have the right to hold our heads high and go with courage and positivity into the next challenges. We have four matches in Nations League coming up, and that’s where the focus is.”

England’s best result at the World Cup was arguably their last-16 victory over Mexico when they triumphed 3-2 against the 10-man co-hosts after kick-off was delayed due to adverse weather.

But Tuchel has one regret from after that game, believing he did not savour it in the right way.

“I texted a friend after the match, and I just wrote, ‘I regret that I didn’t eat some grass after the match to keep something from this in my body forever’. That was the feeling. That was the moment,” he said.

Tuchel will name his England squad for the upcoming break on Friday, with their first Nations League match coming against Spain at home on September 26.

They then face Czechia away and at home, on either side of travelling to Croatia.

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