Tuchel insists England not among World Cup favourites | OneFootball

Thomas Tuchel has insisted England are not among the World Cup favourites and has said his side will arrive at the 2026 tournament as ‘underdogs’.

England boast a perfect record in World Cup qualification and can potentially seal their place at next summer’s finals this month. Tuchel has overseen five consecutive wins in Group K, scoring 13 times and failing to concede a goal.

The Three Lions have not won a major tournament since World Cup success in 1966, but have come close in recent competitions under former manager Gareth Southgate.

England have reached the final of the last two European Championships, alongside a run to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018. Despite those performances, Tuchel insists his side cannot be considered among the favourites.

Speaking ahead of Thursday’s friendly against Wales, Tuchel said England’s lack of tournament-winning experience means the Three Lions will be underdogs for success.

“We will arrive as underdogs in the World Cup because we haven’t won it for decades, and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time, so we need to arrive as a team otherwise we have no chance,” Tuchel said.

“If you’ve never won Wimbledon, you may be one of the favourites but you are not the favourite. You can go and if you come close, OK, you are within the pool, but you are not the favourite. It is just how it is.

“There is Brazil, there is Argentina, Spain, France and they just did it recently.

“It doesn’t mean we have no chance and we know very well. First we will qualify and then we will know exactly why we go there.”

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See more – England vs Wales – Predicted lineup and team news

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