England manager Thomas Tuchel said his team would carry the pain of defeat into the third-place match against France.
Published July 18, 2026
Manager Thomas Tuchel said England’s players were carrying the “scars” of their painful World Cup defeat and admitted they still have a long way to go to close the gap on the top nations.
The England manager has been heavily criticized for his defensive changes in Wednesday’s 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina in Atlanta.
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Anthony Gordon’s performance put England on track to reach their first World Cup final since 1966, but late goals from Enzo Fernandes and Lautaro Martinez turned the game on its head.
The Three Lions will face France in the third-place match in Miami on Saturday after Didier Deschamps’ side lost 2-0 to European champions Spain.
Tuchel was repeatedly criticized for his tactics against Argentina in Friday’s pre-match press conference.
“I tried to help, I tried to support,” said the German, who was coaching England in his first major tournament.
“Many times I have made decisions trusting my instincts, instincts, experience and competitiveness, but I have made decisions to help the team and get results.
“We didn’t get the result, so of course I take responsibility for these decisions. But decisions are made under stress and decisions are made in-game.”
“We have to accept this defeat.”
Tuchel appeared dejected as he answered questions alongside former Manchester City defender John Stones, saying he and his players would suffer the most.
“We have to accept this. So it’s our pain, my pain and the players’ pain, and we’re feeling the most pain,” he said.
“And that’s the wound we carry now. This is a very painful defeat, and we have to live with it. First and foremost, it’s not the critics, it’s not the experts, it’s not the family, but it’s basically us who are also suffering and want only what’s best for us.”
“There is a gap that needs to be filled.”
The former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager said England, who are fourth in the FIFA rankings, still have gaps to fill to reach the standards of the top three nations of Argentina, Spain and France.
Defending champion Argentina will face European champion Spain in Sunday’s final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
“I think this difference is because Argentina, France and Spain have titles as national teams and as countries,” he said. “There’s still a little bit of a gap that we have to fill with what they’ve built over the years with the coaches and the team.
“I think this gap shows that these countries pretty much mirror the expectations of winning the World Cup and making it to the finals.”
But Tuchel promised a response from his men.
“We will get through it, we will take advantage of it and we will react. That starts tomorrow (Saturday),” he said.
“We have a gap that needs to be filled and we recognize that and that is where we are focused.”
