Despite failing to advance to the World Cup final, Tuchel said England showed great fighting spirit.

England took the lead in the 2026 World Cup semi-final thanks to a goal from Gordon, but conceded two crucial goals in the final stages, ultimately losing 1-2 to defending champions Argentina. Tuchel stated that his team showed their usual fighting spirit despite the difficult situation, and therefore he had no regrets.

In the 55th minute, Morgan Rodgers chipped a pass from the right wing into the penalty area, where Gordon volleyed home to give England a 1-0 lead. In the 85th minute, Argentina took a corner, Messi received the ball and passed it across to Enzo, who unleashed a long-range shot from the edge of the penalty area to equalize for Argentina at 1-1.

In stoppage time of the second half, Messi delivered a cross from the right wing, and Lautaro Martinez headed the ball into the net, helping Argentina take a 2-1 lead over England.

Ultimately, England were defeated 1-2 by Argentina, thus failing to continue their pursuit of the championship.

England manager Thomas Tuchel said, "This team gave everything, and we came very close to victory. We deserved to be 1-0 up, and considering the context and the opponents we faced, I think it was one of our best games of the tournament, perhaps even our best. The players performed exceptionally well, but ultimately we couldn't hold on to the win. I have no regrets about that."

"Throughout the game, we showed great fighting spirit and proved once again that we are a highly cohesive team. We faced strong opponents and fought hard in every game. We went through long journeys, flew long distances, played at high altitudes, experienced being one player down, and had to deal with hot weather."

Tuchel said, "We overcame all difficulties and came very close to victory in this game. Now is not the time to summarize the entire World Cup. We were eliminated simply because we lost a crucial game. We were so close to winning, but after taking the lead, we played too conservatively. We gave the opponent too many chances and were never able to regain possession."

“We allowed the opponent to keep crossing and getting shots on goal; we gave them too many chances. After scoring, we couldn’t maintain our intensity. We were under pressure almost immediately after scoring, so we decided to switch to a five-man defense because the gaps between the defensive lines were just too big.”

Furthermore, Tuchel stated, "They won almost all the headers and constantly used crosses from the wings, so we switched to a five-man defense to try and close down the central space and strengthen our defense. Because right after we took the lead, even without making any personnel changes, the opponent created too many crosses and scoring opportunities."

“If we can’t get the ball, nothing else matters. We were never able to shake off their pressure. Of course we wanted to win back possession, but I felt that making substitutions wouldn’t really solve the problem.”

Tuchel also stated, "We are still maintaining the 4-4-2 formation, but the team as a whole is becoming increasingly passive and is almost unable to win back possession. Therefore, I don't think it's a problem with the tactical structure itself."

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