England’s flawless qualification sets up quest for World Cup glory

LONDON – Thomas Tuchel has completed his first task as England manager with ease on Oct 14, as the Three Lions became the

first European side to qualify for the 2026 World Cup

.

After a perfect qualifying record of six wins and 18 goals without conceding from six games, the hard work for the German now begins in burdening great expectations in tough conditions in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Here is a look at the challenges ahead for Tuchel and his team if they are to end a 60-year wait to win a major men’s tournament.

Balancing star power and team cohesion

Tuchel’s bold decision to leave out Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden from his squad in October underlined his desire to find the best collective unit rather than a collection of the best players at his disposal.

“We try to collect the guys who in the end have the glue and cohesion to be the best team, because we need to arrive (at the World Cup) with the best team,” Tuchel said last week.

Elliot Anderson has been the main beneficiary, starting the last four England games.

But if the Nottingham Forest midfielder is to cement his place alongside Declan Rice, it would likely leave only one starting spot available for Bellingham, Foden and Cole Palmer.

It will take a far braver call for Tuchel to leave out some of his star names when it comes to naming his World Cup squad.

Chelsea’s Palmer and Real Madrid right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold were also missing in October due to injury and will expect to be on the plane across the Atlantic come June 2026.

Handling pressure and conditions

Tuchel accepted from his first day in the job that anything other than winning the World Cup will be regarded as a failure.

England came as close as they ever have since 1966 to ending their trophy drought during his predecessor Gareth Southgate’s tenure, losing the last two European Championship finals.

By splashing out on a proven winner in the former Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss on a short-term contract, the English Football Association (FA) is banking on Tuchel to turn a supremely talented generation from nearly men into winners.

However, the 52-year-old will be stepping into the unknown for his first tournament as an international manager in challenging conditions.

England have rarely thrived in the sweltering heat they can expect in many host cities next summer.

Moreover, a number of Tuchel’s key men will head into the tournament on the back of 12 months without a break after their role in the Fifa Club World Cup last summer.

Preparations have already begun with the FA reportedly exploring June friendlies in the heat and humidity of Miami to acclimatise to the conditions before the World Cup kicks off.

Getting fans onside

The appointment of only the third foreign manager to lead the England team was not overwhelmingly popular.

However, that has not prevented the forthright Tuchel from speaking his mind.

He branded the

Wembley crowd “silent” during the 3-0 friendly win over Wales on Oct 9

and claimed his players deserved more from the fans.

The travelling support for Oct 14’s 5-0 win in Riga over Latvia were quick to hit back, telling Tuchel they would “sing when we want”.

England’s rocky road to the Euro 2024 final was beset by an uneasy relationship with fans on the ground in Germany.

Southgate was pelted with beer cups after a 0-0 draw against Slovenia in the group stage.

Tuchel can ill afford such a toxic relationship to add an unwanted distraction to his quest to deliver England’s first major trophy on foreign soil. AFP