Tuchel: France result gives me energy

Thomas Tuchel described England’s 6-4 win over France in the FIFA World Cup 2026 bronze final as a game of two halves.

The Three Lions head coach praised his squad’s mentality as England sealed their best World Cup finish on foreign soil and their best performance at the tournament in 60 years.

“We had a brilliant first half and a turbulent second,” said Tuchel. “You could see the difference a day makes in the schedule, we were so tired and drained from the last weeks.

“Massive compliment and full respect to the mentality we showed after going through adversity.”

The England boss gave his assessment of an entertaining ten-goal thriller in Miami in England’s last outing at this summer’s tournament.

“I was afraid of the physical demand of the match as we know the quality and speed of France,” he continued. “The schedule for them was less demanding, with one day more from the semi-final to digest and way less travel distances than us.

“We have played in the heat, altitude and whatever else. I was worried physically and you could see the cramps and tiredness in the second half.

“But I was never worried about the mentality. This team created something very special and they showed it again.”

Tuchel also highlighted the performance of Bukayo Saka who notched a hat-trick, having been handed a start by the Three Lions head coach.

“He did everything right,” said Tuchel. “I just had a feeling in the semi-final for Morgan Rogers that he would be involved in something special. That was it.

“The games demand so much and we are forced into changes because of cramps and flow of the game.

“Bukayo showed he is a key player – that was never in doubt. I wasn’t even aware he had a hat-trick – I lost the overview of the goalscorers, but it is well deserved.”

And Tuchel emphasised the importance of closing the gap on other nations.

“Eight years ago, they were champions, four years ago in the final, they were in the Nations League final, so there is a slight gap but we want to close it,” explained Tuchel.

“Today is the first step to close it, we did that, we beat them. The next one will be against Spain in the Nations League.”

And although Tuchel and his players were disappointed to lose the semi-final against Argentina and miss out on a place in the final, he explained how tonight’s result has energised him.

“To see a team fight like this gives you energy,” he added. “The tiredness will come after. We will still feel the pain tomorrow during the final, this will take a while, but overall it gives me more energy than it takes from me.”