Thomas Tuchel is set to unveil the “gentleman” Gareth Southgate immediately after his predecessor Lee Carsley’s England campaign for the 2026 World Cup. The new England manager has signed an 18-month contract with the Football Association starting on January 1, and Tuchel is well aware that his task is to add a second World Cup star to the England shirt.
Friday’s draw for the qualifiers pitted his team against Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra, with the group winners securing an automatic place at the finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Tuchel is a highly respected club manager but new to the international stage and has said he intends to make time to speak to Southgate, who resigned in the summer after leading England to a second successive European Championship final.
“He’s a gentleman,” Tuchel told Sky Sports News. “We met before when I was at Chelsea and it was a pleasure to talk to him, so why not (meet him again)?”
He will also hold talks at St George’s Park next month with Carsley, who has been appointed interim England manager for the Nations League in the autumn. “We will work from January at St George’s and hopefully we will meet very regularly and it is very natural that we will meet,” he added.
“Of course we will exchange (ideas) because I am interested in his view on (selection) for the games, the potential of the group and how he felt about the group and the experiences. He is the Under-21s coach so he will be very close to me and we have enough time from January.”
England are due to begin their qualifying campaign in March and have won every game they have played so far against their opponents in Group K. However, Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live that it is not a given that his team will top the group, adding that they need “seriousness” and “determination”.
England have met Serbia only once in their history as a nation – at this year’s European Championship where Jude Bellingham’s goal proved decisive in the group stage clash. They have won all six previous meetings with Albania – all World Cup qualifiers – and last met in the qualifiers for the recent finals in Qatar. Southgate’s side beat Albania 5-0 at Wembley in November 2021.
Latvia will be a new opponent, while Andorra were also in England’s group for Qatar. England won the first leg 4-0, then won the return 5-0. Asked about Serbia v Albania, Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live: “They are always very talented individual players, a very emotional group, a very emotional crowd. So they can always surprise. We have to take this seriously. It’s the first game against Latvia, so it’s a new challenge for all of us.
He added: “And then we are clear favourites against Andorra, but qualification is the key now. Qualification is the top priority. We have to be serious. We have to be determined, and we have to show what we are preparing for in this group of five.
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Asked if he was confident of finishing top of the group, Tuchel replied: “I don’t take it for granted. The gap between the big countries and the small countries is getting narrower and narrower. I saw that at the Euros recently. There is no such thing as results that have already been made before the game. The small countries are getting stronger and stronger. So we have to earn our place. We have to get to first place.”
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The new England manager also confirmed he will speak to Arsenal defender Ben White about a possible return to the national team in the new year. White has not played for England since their early exit from the 2022 World Cup and is currently sidelined after undergoing minor knee surgery last month.
“I will be in touch with him. It has to be a clean start and a clear story,” Tuchel said, adding that he would still stick with Harry Kane as England captain. “There is no need at the moment to think about a change,” said Tuchel, who took over the striker at Bayern Munich last season. “Harry has always been a great leader for England. Why think about it at the moment?”
Tuchel believes national team coaches would enjoy another winter World Cup in Saudi Arabia, but agreed it would be less popular with clubs and leagues. Tuchel was asked about the possibility of holding the winter finals in 10 years’ time while attending the 2026 qualifying draw.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We have just had a meeting with all the other coaches. I think no decision has been made yet, but the coaches who were on international duty in Qatar were very happy with the winter World Cup because the players came in November and December, so not after a tiring season but in the middle of it.
