England completed their perfect World Cup qualifying campaign on Sunday, sealing a record-breaking 2–0 victory over Albania.
The Three Lions, who secured maximum points from all eight matches, became the first European nation to win every World Cup qualifier without conceding a goal in a campaign spanning at least six games.
AFP Sport breaks down three key pillars that could fuel Thomas Tuchel’s bid for World Cup glory in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year:
After a slow bedding-in period, Thomas Tuchel has transformed England over the past 11 months, with his sharp tactical calls proving decisive.
Former manager Gareth Southgate drew criticism for his conservative approach and sluggish in-game adjustments — flaws that contributed to defeats in the Euro 2021 and 2024 finals, and the 2018 World Cup semifinal.
Tuchel, however, has repeatedly shown he thrives under pressure, as demonstrated by his Champions League triumph with Chelsea in 2021 and domestic success at Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
The 52-year-old has brought that big-game pedigree to the national team.
In Thursday’s 2–0 win over Serbia, his substitutions paid immediate dividends as Eberechi Eze and Phil Foden combined to set up England’s second goal. Against Albania, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford came off the bench to assist both goals for Harry Kane.
Tuchel has also handled Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham with firm clarity.
Unlike Southgate, who was accused of over-accommodating the midfielder, Tuchel benched Bellingham entirely in October and limited him to a cameo against Serbia. Restored to the starting XI versus Albania, Bellingham’s irritation at being replaced late on was met with a swift reminder from Tuchel about squad discipline.
Having already insisted Bellingham must earn his place at the World Cup, Tuchel’s uncompromising stance reinforces a team-first culture that is clearly working.
With set-pieces becoming a major weapon across the Premier League this season, Harry Kane revealed that Tuchel is implementing an NFL-style playbook to capitalise on dead-ball scenarios.
Kane — an avid American football follower — says England will head to the World Cup armed with a catalogue of set routines designed to exploit both zonal and man-marking systems.
“I think it’s massive,” Kane said. “You want an NFL playbook where you analyse the opposition and choose the best routine. Usually, the strongest set-piece team goes the furthest.”
Appropriately, Kane’s opener against Albania came from a Saka corner — a warning shot for England’s future opponents.
Tuchel finds himself in charge of England at a time when elite talent is abundant across every department.
England’s depth was showcased in Tirana, where Tuchel rotated heavily — making seven changes — yet still fielded a side capable of ending Albania’s eight-match unbeaten streak.
With Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire all unavailable, opportunities arose for Nico O’Reilly, Elliot Anderson, Jarrod Bowen, Eberechi Eze, Jarell Quansah and Adam Wharton to push for World Cup selection.
Tuchel now has backups nearly on par with his starters in most positions.
The only undeniable exception is Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, whose record for England now stands at 78 goals.
Selecting from such a deep pool may give Tuchel a few restless nights, but England’s newest golden generation provides a formidable platform for a genuine World Cup challenge.
