Tuchel praises England’s World Cup debut, but blasts anthem camera setup
Thomas Tuchel could hardly have asked for a better start to the World Cup, as England beat Croatia 4-2 on Wednesday in their opening match at the 2026 tournament. The performance was widely described as one of the best seen so far in the competition, and Tuchel said he was very pleased with what he saw from his players on the pitch.
Despite the strong result, the new England coach was left angry about something unrelated to football: the way the pre-match national anthems were handled. In a postgame interview, he made an unusual appeal to FIFA, saying, "I beg FIFA to change the position of the cameras during the national anthem... I could not see my team."
Tuchel said he had been looking forward to the moment, calling it very special, but complained that he was standing in front of "a wall of 50 photographers." Because of that, he said, he could not see any of the players and the experience was ruined for him.
The remarks came immediately after England’s convincing first-game win at the 2026 World Cup.
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