England confident but respect World Cup rivals, says Tuchel | OneFootball

The coach of England, Thomas Tuchel, stated this Friday that the 'Three Lions' team is confident, but needs to show Croatia, Ghana, and Panama the respect they deserve, following the draw for the 2026 World Cup.

Group Overview

“A tough opening game against Croatia and Ghana, two teams that regularly participate in the World Cup and two strong and proud nations,” Tuchel told the BBC.

“I don't know much about Panama yet, but we will find out more before the tournament starts,” he said after the draw in Washington D.C.

The former PSG and Chelsea coach is preparing for his first major competition as a national team coach.

“I've only played group stages in the UEFA Champions League format, and the best way to handle it is to treat them with the utmost respect and focus on winning the group,” he added.

“It always seems difficult, but we are confident and will be well prepared when the time comes,” concluded the German, whose team is the top seed in Group L.

Pros and Cons

The draw also allows England to make its debut later, on June 17, six days after the tournament begins. On the other hand, this schedule means a more condensed knockout phase, should the team qualify.

“Now we know we will enter the tournament later. This gives us a little more time in case the players are competing in European finals, which I hope will happen,” said Tuchel.

“But we didn't want any specific scenario, because the schedule will get tighter after that.”

England, ranked 4th by FIFA, could face Brazil in the quarter-finals and Argentina in the semi-finals, should those teams finish the first phase as the top of their groups.

England has been waiting for nearly 60 years for a second star on their shirt, following their home triumph in the 1966 World Cup.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.