Thomas Tuchel’s era as England manager at a major tournament has got off to a positive start. Although England were unable to lift the trophy, they finished in a creditable third place. This is the England team’s best World Cup finish since they were crowned champions on home soil at Wembley in 1966, in a match they won against West Germany in extra time.

England’s group stage was very positive. They made their opening appearance against Croatia, a side that is always competitive and which knocked them out of the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup in Russia eight years ago. England put in one of their best performances of the tournament to secure a clear victory over the Balkan side, in a superb team display in which Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham stood out with two goals and one goal respectively.

The match that proved a stumbling block was their second. Against Ghana, Tuchel’s side struggled to find their rhythm and only dominated in the closing minutes. Harry Kane had the only clear-cut chance, but sent his shot over the bar. England rounded off the group stage with a comfortable victory over Panama. Although the first half was not their best, goals from Bellingham and Harry Kane in the second half sealed the win.

England’s results in the 2026 World Cup group stage

• England 4–2 Croatia
• England 0–0 Ghana
• Panama 0–2 England

The dream went as far as the semi-finals

After the group stage, the real 2026 World Cup began: the knockout stages. In the round of 32, England faced Congo. The African side were the better team in the first half and went ahead. Tragedy loomed over the English, who began to see ghosts. But then Harry Kane stepped up in the final twenty minutes to score two stunning goals and send England through to the round of 16.

Their opponents in the next round would be Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, at an altitude of over 2,200 metres above sea level. The English side played their best first half and went ahead, although Quansah’s sending-off complicated matters. Nevertheless, they showed resilience to hold on to the leads provided by Bellingham and Harry Kane. In the quarter-finals, they had to go to extra time, but two goals from Bellingham sent Tuchel’s side through to the semi-finals.

Waiting in the run-up to the final was Argentina, the reigning champions. The match was a scrappy affair until half-time. After the break, England took the lead through a goal from Grodon, but Tuchel decided it was the right move to sit back and defend in their own area. The team captained by Messi capitalised on this to stage a comeback in the closing minutes. The third-place play-off served to finish the 2026 World Cup in third place and salvage some pride, but Thomas Tuchel’s decisions in the semi-final against Argentina continue to spark debate in England.

England’s results in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers

• England 2–1 Congo
• Mexico 2–3 England
• Norway 1–2 England
• England 1–2 Argentina
• France 4–6 England