Thomas Tuchel appointed England manager from 2025

Thomas Tuchel has been appointed as the head coach of the England men’s national team.

The Athletic reported that Tuchel had agreed a deal to take over at England on Tuesday and his appointment was confirmed on Wednesday morning. He will assume the role from January 1, 2025, meaning interim coach Lee Carsley will continue to lead the team for England’s November Nations League fixtures.

Tuchel will be assisted by Anthony Barry, who worked with the German at Chelsea and Bayern Munich, with further backroom staff appointments to be confirmed in the near future.

The FA says Tuchel signed his contract on October 8, with “several candidates” interviewed as part of the process. The terms of Tuchel’s contract will include a bonus for winning the World Cup, the next edition of which will be staged in 2026 across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. The FA has not yet confirmed the length of Tuchel and Barry’s deals.

Pep Guardiola was the FA’s top choice to replace Gareth Southgate and the admiration for the Catalan remains. The 53-year-old’s Manchester City contract is due to expire at the end of this season and he is yet to make a decision on his future.

“I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team,” Tuchel said on his appointment. “I have long felt a personal connection to the game in this country, and it has given me some incredible moments already.

“To have the chance to represent England is a huge privilege, and the opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players is very exciting.”

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Tuchel has been out of work since stepping down as head coach of Bayern Munich at the end of last season.

Tuchel worked with England captain Harry Kane during his spell at the German club, while Tuchel is familiar with the majority of England’s squad from his time in the Premier League as Chelsea head coach.

The FA has made its move for Southgate’s permanent successor with interim coach Carsley saying the national team needed a “world-class coach” to lead the country into the next World Cup in 2026.

Carsley, 50, was placed in temporary charge after Southgate resigned in July following England’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.

Carsley has won three of his four Nations League matches in charge of the senior side, but last week’s 2-1 defeat at home to Greece damaged England’s hopes of winning their group.

Tuchel, meanwhile, was spoken to by Manchester United last summer, getting as far as discussing financial terms before they opted to keep manager Erik ten Hag.

The former Chelsea head coach was previously considered for the top job at Old Trafford following Ralf Rangnick’s departure before the club opted to hire Ten Hag.

Tuchel will become the third foreign manager to take charge of the English men’s national team — after the late Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello — and the first German.

Tuchel began his managerial career at Mainz before stints at Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain, where he led the club to the final of the Champions League in 2020.

He replaced Frank Lampard as Chelsea head coach in January 2021 and went on to lead the club to their second Champions League title later that season, beating Guardiola’s City in the final.

Tuchel went on to add the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup later that year but was sacked a month into the 2022-23 season by new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly.

He led Bayern to a record-extending 33rd Bundesliga title — his first German league crown as manager — in May 2023 having replaced Julian Nagelsmann two months prior but was unable to retain it, with Bayer Leverkusen instead winning their first Bundesliga title earlier this year.

(Top photo: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)