MIAMI, July 18, 2026 – England manager Thomas Tuchel expressed hope that his players will eventually take pride in finishing third at the World Cup, despite missing their ultimate goal of winning the tournament.

England secured a 6-4 win over France in a high-scoring third-place playoff at Miami Stadium on Saturday, marking their best World Cup finish since their only triumph in 1966 when they hosted the event. Tuchel described it as "the first medal for 60 years, the best World Cup on foreign soil," and said, "So I hope that the players can be proud of that in some time."

Tuchel acknowledged the team's fierce competitiveness, noting that "we almost don't allow ourselves to be proud of the third place because 18 months ago we set ourselves the highest goal ... to make it to the final and win the World Cup."

The England manager faced criticism following their 2-1 semi-final loss to Argentina, particularly over his defensive tactics after taking an early second-half lead. Reflecting on the media response, Tuchel said, "The press conference yesterday felt as if we went out in the group stage without a win, to be very honest. The best thing you can do is react on the pitch and get the next win. Everything else is just talking, and talking doesn't get you points, and talking doesn't get you a win."

Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick in the third-place match raised questions about why he was not fielded in the semi-final. Tuchel explained, "It was a tough decision for me to leave him out of the semi-final," citing caution due to an Achilles injury Saka had been managing for months.

Sources