Thomas Tuchel is set to stay on as England head coach after the World Cup this summer.
The German’s contract was due to expire following the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico but he is now expected to sign an extension that will take him through to the European Championships in 2028, a competition which England will co-host with Scotland, Wales and Republic of Ireland.
The former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund coach signed an 18-month contract beginning in January 2025, when he agreed to take over from Gareth Southgate in October 2024.
That timeframe would have seen him become a free agent in the summer and likely become a leading name in what is expected to be a competitive managerial market.
The expected new deal with England will take him out of those conversations, however, and leave clubs potentially considering him to look elsewhere.
Speaking in November, Tuchel was asked whether there was part of him that wanted to stay on beyond next summer.
“Yes there is,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun, it’s a lot of fun. Especially since we’re on track in the last two camps. It was from the start.
“There’s nothing to announce at the moment, but I am very happy with the way things are going. The federation (the FA) is quite happy with the way things are. That is just today, I have to prove myself again from Monday, I have to prove myself from here, the rest will take care of itself.”
Under Tuchel, England topped their World Cup qualification group with a 100 per cent record.
England, who will be among the favourites for the tournament despite not winning the World Cup since 1966, will play their final fixtures on home soil against Uruguay and Japan next month, before warm-up fixtures against New Zealand and Costa Rica in Florida in June.
England have been drawn against Croatia, Ghana and Panama in Group L and could face the likes of Spain, Argentina or Brazil in the knockout stages.
The Football Association confirmed on Thursday Tuchel’s squad will be based at the Swope Soccer Village — one of Sporting Kansas City’s training complexes — in Kansas City, Missouri for the duration of the tournament.
What this means for England
Given there are going to be a number of the biggest clubs in football searching for a new manager in the summer, Tuchel, who has proven himself to be one of the best coaches in Europe, extending his England contract is a huge boost for the FA.
There is no doubt that he would have been incredibly high on a number of shortlists, and it is worth remembering he has perviously interviewed for the Manchester United job.
The short-term — World Cup or bust — nature of Tuchel’s initial deal, which was due to expire later this year, meant there was always a chance England would need to be searching for a new manager after this summer’s tournament.
But for the FA to now have the 52-year-old tied down until at least 2028, meaning he will be in charge for Euro 2028, which is being hosted in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, gives an important sense of stability and means Tuchel can avoid being asked about his future during the World Cup.
On the other side of the coin, however, if England flop at the World Cup, then it could potentially leave them boxed in — as it did with Fabio Capello in 2010.
Capello, then attracting interest from Italy, was handed a new contract on the eve of the 2010 World Cup that would see him remain in charge until after Euro 2012, only for England’s tournament to end in humiliation at the hands of Germany in the last 16.