“I have to tell you something” – Thomas Tuchel asks FIFA to make a quick World Cup change after England’s first win
England coach Thomas Tuchel has kindly asked FIFA to make a quick change to how things happen before matches after his first World Cup experience didn’t go as smoothly as he hoped.
Tuchel, who won the Champions League with Chelsea, reached another big milestone by managing at the World Cup for the first time on Wednesday night. He led England to a 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening game at the 2026 tournament, with Harry Kane scoring twice in the first half, and Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford adding goals in the second half.
Tuchel and his assistant, Anthony Barry, were not happy with England’s first-half play and urged the team to improve in the second half. But before the game even started, Tuchel felt frustrated. When the England players gathered at the center circle to sing the national anthem, he was surrounded by photographers standing right in front of him, blocking his view and stopping him from sharing in the “very special moment.”
Tuchel didn’t sing ‘God Save The King’ himself, saying he would only do that if England reached the final. Still, he was upset about being unable to see his players during the anthem because of the photographers’ close positions and big cameras. Pictures showed Tuchel looking annoyed by all the attention from photographers.
After the match, Tuchel spoke up about this issue and asked FIFA to move the photographers to a better spot during pre-match ceremonies. “I have to tell you, I’m begging FIFA to change where the photographers stand during the national anthem because I couldn’t see my team,” he said. “I was really looking forward to this moment. It was so special, and instead, I was standing in front of a wall of 50 photographers, just half a meter away, and couldn’t see a single player. It spoiled the moment for me. It’s very emotional. When I was young and started coaching, this kind of experience was something I could only dream of.”
England scored early with a Kane penalty after his first shot was saved, but got a retake due to an opponent’s mistake. Early on, Tuchel was also heard having a sharp word with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. According to Fox reporter Geoff Shreeves, Tuchel was unhappy that Pickford didn’t follow instructions to pass the ball out from the back properly and went the wrong way while off balance. Tuchel told Pickford to listen to the plan and finish by saying, “Do as I told you.”
Shreeves shared, “Pickford was off balance on his left side but still picked up the ball. Tuchel quickly called out from the sideline, ‘No, pass to the right back, don’t go that side.’ Pickford argued back a little, but Tuchel wasn’t happy and said, ‘You know what you’re supposed to do, do as I told you.’”
England lead Group L and will play their next game on Tuesday against Ghana at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.