With the World Cup just days away, the FA quietly locked in Thomas Tuchel through the 2028 home European Championships. And if history suggests that pre-tournament extensions can blow up in a federation’s face — Fabio Capello’s ill-fated 2010 deal comes to mind — FA chief Mark Bullingham isn’t losing sleep over the parallel.
Tuchel, who succeeded Sir Gareth Southgate 20 months ago, led England through a flawless qualifying campaign. His original deal was set to expire this summer. Instead, the FA moved early, citing both performance and simple market reality.
The timing question
Bullingham addressed whether Tuchel’s reported interest from top clubs forced the FA’s hand. “We’d actually started speaking to him a little bit before that managerial merry-go-round started, so, no, it wasn’t,” he said.
But he didn’t pretend the threat wasn’t real. “He is a top-level manager who would be in demand. You can’t expect someone to wait around and say, ‘Well, I’ll just leave it a long time and see how we go.’ That’s not the reality of life, I don’t think, in any profession.”
Why a home Euros tipped the scale
Bullingham framed the extension as a stability play, especially with a home tournament looming in two years. “Home tournaments — the pressure is even bigger than a normal tournament, and you want someone who’s been there and done it.”
Tuchel, a Champions League winner with Chelsea, fits that profile. And England, back-to-back European Championship finalists, enter this World Cup among the favorites.
Performance clauses — but no defined bar
While Bullingham declined to define what constitutes success in the upcoming tournament, he confirmed that Tuchel’s contract includes performance clauses. “There’s performance clauses in every single contract with the FA. I’m not going to go into any detail on what they are,” he said ahead of Wednesday’s Group L opener against Croatia. “The reality is we’re really confident he’s going to be our coach in 2028.”
Why the FA isn’t worried about club poaching
Bullingham dismissed the notion that extending Tuchel represented a risk. “He’s very happy with us. We’re very happy with him. So I don’t see it as a risk. But I’m not saying those approaches won’t happen, because they could.”
He also praised Tuchel’s command of the international environment. “In his own environment, he’s incredibly dynamic and energetic, but he absolutely owns the room and owns the camp and he’s brilliant at connecting with everyone.”
Southgate’s shadow — and credit
Bullingham was careful to credit the foundation Tuchel inherited. “There’s no question that Gareth laid brilliant foundations that made the job attractive. The level of manager that wanted to work with us was extremely high. A lot of big names were keen on the job, and I’d say that is a tribute to Gareth and Steve (Holland), who made it an attractive role.”
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