'There is no curse on English teams' says England men's boss Thomas Tuchel after 'good omen' successes of Lionesses and Under-21s
Published 05/09/2025 at 13:04 GMT+1
Thomas Tuchel believes "there is no curse on English teams" after the "good omen" successes of the Lionesses and England Under-21s this summer. Tuchel is looking to guide England men's team to their first major honours since 1966 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. England sit top of Group K in UEFA qualifying and face Andorra at Wembley on Saturday before a trip to Belgrade to take on Serbia.
Tuchel glad 'there is no curse on English teams' after Lionesses and U21s triumph
Video credit: SNTV
Thomas Tuchel believes the success of the Lionesses and England Under-21s shows "there is no curse on English teams" ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
England sit comfortably top of Group K in UEFA qualifying, having beaten Albania, Latvia and Andorra without conceding a goal.
England welcome Andorra to Wembley on Saturday, a team they have a perfect record against, before travelling to Belgrade on Tuesday to face Serbia in the biggest challenge of Tuchel’s tenure so far.
The German has come into the England set up with big shoes to fill after Gareth Southgate reached two Euros finals and a World Cup semi-final, while Sarina Wiegman has won consecutive Women’s Euros titles and reached the Women’s World Cup final.
There has also been significant success for England Under-21s under Lee Carsley, as they defended their European crown in the summer.
Tuchel was asked in his press conference ahead of the clash with Andorra whether the performances of Carsley and Wiegman have added pressure to his own tenure in the England dugout.
"No [I don't think it has added pressure]," he replied.
"If it is something, then it is a good omen, and I was so happy for Sarina [Wiegman] and Lee [Carsley] because they made it and they made an extraordinary effort and a huge success with back-to-back victories.
"It is possible [to win a trophy with England], there is no curse on English teams and it is a good omen, and we will do our very best to follow their example."
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England have already suffered an injury to Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton, who was replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The AC Milan midfielder could add to his 10 England caps having been included in the squad for the first time since 2018.
The Three Lions have been further rocked by bad news with John Stones leaving St. George’s Park after coming into camp with a minor muscle injury.
Tuchel opted not to take the risk with Stones, which means Bayern Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah could make his debut.
"Unfortunately John Stones just left," Tuchel said.
"He came with minor muscle issues to the camp and did not progress as we thought and hoped he would so he left the camp this morning because we will not take the risk with him, not against Andorra or Serbia.
"Everyone else is available. We had 21 players yesterday in training and 21 players today in training and we just need to make sure everyone is available for tomorrow."
England were not always fluent in their first three matches under Tuchel, and the friendly defeat to Senegal at Wembley in June raised some concerns amongst supporters.
Tuchel, however, insists he is happy with where the squad is 10 months out from the World Cup.
"I did not think so much about where I want to be but I am happy with where I am at the moment," he said.
"There was a lot of learning for us and for me personally in the first two camps.
"We had an excellent camp three until now but as you know it's never about what you did and it's always about what you do in the moment, and to go forward, progress and get better.
"We have a very important training session today to get ready for the match on Saturday but I am happy where I am and I am happy where the team is, and we can feel a change in attitude as we arrive in the World Cup season."
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