Tuchel stays with England until 2028, rules out club return

England head coach Thomas Tuchel has said he will not return to club management anytime soon. He is focused on leading the Three Lions until the 2028 European Championship.

Tuchel took over from Gareth Southgate as England manager in 2025. He signed a contract extension in February, which keeps him in charge until Euro 2028, hosted by England.

The former coach of Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain said he won’t leave the national team, even with offers from big European clubs.

BBC Sport reported on Thursday that Tuchel said, “I signed the contract, I want to stay until the Euros. I want to do the Euros. We have unfinished business.”

His remarks come as Manchester United is reportedly in talks with United States men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino. They want him to replace Michael Carrick as head coach.

United may need to activate a release clause in Pochettino’s deal, which is thought to be around £7 million, to bring him in.

Tuchel pointed out that his own contract does not have a release clause. He is clearly set on staying with England until his contract ends.

While he is committed to the national team, Tuchel shared that he misses some things about club football. He particularly misses the number of matches and the excitement of playing in full stadiums.

“I miss the 50 matches [a season],” he said. “I miss the two minutes when everything is done. You go out two minutes before the whistle goes, it’s like the best two minutes, everything is done and you’re in a full stadium, lights are on and you’re just so excited and you’re part of it.”

Tuchel led England to the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which was his first major tournament as manager. This came after England lost two European Championship finals under Southgate.

The former Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss thinks there is still work to do with the national team before he looks at club management again.

Meanwhile, England is getting ready for two crucial Nations League matches. They want to improve their standing in the group.

Tuchel’s team will face Croatia at home on Thursday and then head to Madrid to play against Spain, the reigning World Cup champions and current group leaders, on Sunday.