Tuchel the right man! Harry Kane backs under fire England manager

Harry Kane has backed Thomas Tuchel to lead England to glory despite their heartbreaking semi-final exit at the 2026 World Cup in the United States.

England missed out on a first global final in 60 years, after failing to beat Argentina in their semifinal clash. Though they were victorious against France in the third-place match, Tuchel has been criticized for his tactical decision.

Tuchel’s decision to play defensively after going one nil up against Argentina backfired.

Despite numerous critics, Kane remains steadfast in his belief that Tuchel is the correct leader for this generation of talent.

England Players pose for a photograph with their bronze medals after their victory over France. (Photo by Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

“It’s our highest finish in 60 years,” Kane noted. “The enthusiasm he has, the emotion he brings, the tactical experience he has. It doesn’t mean you’re going to get it right every time.

“He not only gave the players belief but he gave the country belief that it was our year. That is why it hurts even more than other years because everyone believed we were going all the way.”

Harry Kane applauds the fans with his bronze medal after the team’s victory in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Bronze Final between France and England. (Photo by Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Kane added that the passive nature of England’s play when leading against elite opposition is the primary area that requires immediate attention before the next major cycle begins.

“Everyone has to process it. He has to process it himself. It won’t be until the next camp where you think about what the future holds and what the next target is,” Kane added. “We’ll have conversations as captain and manager and with other teammates and staff, to see where we can be better. The last 30 minutes of Argentina is not the team we want to be. We spent a lot of time over the last two years talking about that situation, to attack those moments. The bottom line is we lost anyway.”

“It’s easy to go away and talk about it. We need to get better at actually being in those situations,” Kane concluded. “We can train, play the qualifiers… I think the Nations League will be big for us, against Spain and Croatia, big teams.

“Getting used to those big environments and finding our best form against those teams, like we did against France – albeit not in the most competitive match. We have to learn, improve. The coach will have improved from these learnings. I can talk as much as I want but ultimately it’s about showing it next time we’re in that situation.”

Kane also provided an honest assessment of the squad’s current mental state, following their late setback against Argentina.

“Of course we’re still feeling it from the other night, the emotion and the what ifs,” the England captain said. “That will be with us for a while now. We’re still in that grieving stage, the emotional stage, and we’ll be in that for the next few weeks.”