England manager Thomas Tuchel has dismissed suggestions of a “curse” hanging over his team as they aim to end the nation’s long wait for a men’s international title.
England’s only senior men’s triumph remains the 1966 World Cup, won on home soil against West Germany. Since then, there have been repeated near misses, including successive European Championship final defeats under former boss Gareth Southgate, a World Cup semi-final in 2018, and a quarter-final exit in 2022.
Tuchel, who succeeded Southgate after Euro 2024, believes recent triumphs elsewhere in the national setup are cause for optimism rather than extra pressure.
England’s women, led by Sarina Wiegman, lifted back-to-back European Championship titles in 2022 and 2025, while Lee Carsley’s Under-21s also retained their crown earlier this year in Slovakia.
“Not at all,” Tuchel said when asked if those victories added to the pressure.
“If anything, it is a good omen. I was so happy for Sarina and Lee because they made an extraordinary effort and achieved huge success with back-to-back victories. It shows that it is possible. There is no curse on English teams, and we will do our best to follow their example.”
England resume their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Andorra on Saturday before travelling to Belgrade to face Serbia on Tuesday.
The Three Lions were held to a narrow 1-0 win over Andorra in June and Tuchel expects another defensive approach.
“We will face a deep block, a 5-4-1 for sure, and the challenge is to overcome that quickly and aggressively, playing with more rhythm than we did in the first match,” he explained.
Latvia and Albania complete Group K, with the winners progressing directly to the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Tuchel confirmed that Manchester City defender John Stones has withdrawn from the squad due to muscular issues. Stones, capped 83 times, has not featured for England since October last year.
“Unfortunately, John just left,” Tuchel said on Friday. “He came into camp with minor issues which did not progress as we hoped, so he has returned home. We will not take the risk. Everyone else is available.”
The manager also confirmed that captain Harry Kane will start against Andorra.
“Yes, he starts. There is no balance. The competition is on, and it is World Cup season,” Tuchel insisted.