England head coach Thomas Tuchel has opened the door to remaining in charge of the Three Lions beyond the end of the 2026 World Cup.

The ex-Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain head coach penned an 18-month agreement with the FA when he replaced Gareth Southgate in early 2025, meaning he is due to leave his post following the next global gathering.

Tuchel's short time in charge of the Three Lions so far has been tumultuous to say the least, as he oversaw England's first-ever loss to an African nation in senior men's football on Tuesday, a chastening 3-1 home defeat to Senegal.

England's capitulation at the City Ground came after they could only scrape a 1-0 victory away to minnows Andorra, although that result at least maintained their perfect record in Group K of World Cup 2026 Qualifying.

Having also seen off Albania and Latvia in March, England are firmly in control of their first-placed destiny and are expected to sail through to the World Cup finals barring a catastrophe in the autumn.

Tuchel open to staying at England in event of poor World Cup

Having achieved significant success at club level - most notably masterminding Chelsea's run to the 2020-21 Champions League title - Tuchel was sworn in to the FA's headquarters with the sole goal of finally bringing World Cup glory back to the England men's team.

However, in an interview with talkSPORT, the 51-year-old affirmed that he would also welcome the chance to guide the Three Lions to Euro 2028 and can envisage himself remaining in the role even if the nation disappoint in North America next year.

Asked if he could continue in his role in the event of an underwhelming World Cup display, Tuchel responded: "If you ask me today, yes. Because, like I said, I feel that I'm in the right place. I enjoy to be where I am at the moment.

"I love the new challenge. I wanted a new challenge, I wanted a new environment. I feel the support, I feel the trust and the respect of the people in the federation.

"I love the group of players. I want to push them and it just feels right. It's an honour to be English head coach. I know what's coming after a huge tournament in England. I will always be tempted. I can tell you that even after the disappointing result [against Senegal]."

Are England's June results a harbinger of doom for World Cup?

Tuchel may have expressed a desire to continue working with England, but by the time his first contract expires next summer, the FA will initially hold all the cards and will no doubt have reservations about extending their partnership if the nation falls short.

The German's first six months in the job have been far from disastrous - he actually became the first England men's boss to win each of his opening three matches without conceding - but a slick Senegal side exposed some fatal failings in Nottinghamshire.

Those shortcomings can be attributed to Tuchel tinkering to the extreme and struggling to settle on a best XI, but they can also be blamed on players running on empty after an exhausting season, while some may be dreading an energy-zapping Club World Cup too.

Tuchel understandably wants to see as many England players in action as possible, as several tickets on the plane should still be up for grabs, but continuation and consistency will be key towards the business end of qualifying.

However, once the proven winner has had more time and more training camps with his troops, England's sordid summer should largely be forgotten about, but there is no question that they are already playing catch-up to some of the planet's big boys.

Written by
Ben Knapton