World Cup 2026: Five reasons England can win the trophy under Thomas Tuchel

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is right around the corner, and anticipation continues to build with just a month to go until the most prestigious sporting tournament takes centre stage.

As the opening match between Mexico and South Africa on June 11 draws nearer, debate regarding the favourites to lift the trophy is intensifying, with several nations entering the competition with genuine hopes of glory.

Among those teams is England, who will be looking to celebrate the 60th anniversary of their famous triumph in 1966 by winning just their second-ever World Cup.

The Three Lions, under the guidance of Thomas Tuchel, will arrive in North America as one of the stronger contenders and will be aiming to go all the way to the final in New Jersey on July 19.

Here, Sports Mole looks at five reasons why England could be crowned World Cup champions under Tuchel.

Tuchel's experience

Tuchel is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in world football, and England will be hoping the German can showcase his managerial skills and lead them to World Cup glory in the summer.

Tuchel has won an abundance of trophies throughout his career, including the DFB-Pokal with Borussia Dortmund, multiple Ligue 1 titles and domestic cups at Paris Saint-Germain and the Bundesliga as Bayern Munich boss.

Most notably, Tuchel also steered an unlikely Chelsea team to the Champions League trophy in 2020-21, with the Blues besting the likes of Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in the knockout rounds before defeating Manchester City 1-0 in the final.

Chelsea were underdogs for much of that European campaign, and that experience of leading an unfancied side to glory could prove pivotal if England are to overcome the likes of Spain and France - widely viewed as stronger outfits than the Three Lions - to lift the trophy.

Perfect qualifying campaign

Although not one of the most important reasons on this list, England's perfect qualifying campaign for the World Cup will certainly instil confidence within the squad ahead of the tournament.

The Three Lions comfortably finished top of UEFA qualifying Group K with eight wins from eight games, beating Albania, Serbia, Latvia and Andorra both home and away.

However, perhaps more significantly, England did not concede a single goal during that time, keeping clean sheets in all eight matches while scoring 22 times at the opposite end.

England were the only team to complete qualifying with a flawless winning record while also not conceding any goals - with Norway the only other nation to win all of their eight fixtures.

Tuchel will be looking for his side to build on that momentum heading into the tournament, although they will have to face significantly stronger opposition if they are to go all the way.

Squad's tournament experience

England fans have endured plenty of heartbreak in recent years, as the Three Lions have suffered back-to-back UEFA European Championship final defeats and also been eliminated in the semi-finals and quarter-finals of the last two World Cups.

However, several members of those squads are likely to be involved once again in the summer, and the ability to draw on these past experiences of going deep in major tournaments could prove invaluable.

Even for the younger players in the squad with less experience on the international stage, many have been involved in deep runs in the FA Cup, Champions League and other competitions.

Nico O'Reilly, for example, has not featured for England at a major tournament but has the recent experience of leading Manchester City to the Carabao Cup trophy, scoring two goals in the final against Arsenal.

England, therefore, will have a squad stacked full of players boasting plenty of tournament experience at international or club level, and their learned ability to handle the biggest moments could prove pivotal to their hopes of glory.

Deep squad

Alongside the wealth of experience within the squad, England's squad is also brimming with talent.

Not only do the Three Lions boast world-class players such as Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham, but even their squad players are regarded among the most promising in Europe.

In midfield, the likes of Elliot Anderson, Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton are battling to start alongside Rice, and this is the case in multiple positions all over the pitch.

Tuchel has been blessed with an abundance of talented attacking midfielders, including Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Morgan Gibbs-White and the aforementioned Bellingham.

Even in problem areas of the past, such as at left-back, England now have O'Reilly, Lewis Hall and Myles Lewis-Skelly competing for places, while Manchester United's Luke Shaw is still more than capable of playing at the highest level.

This competition for places may feel like a curse when Tuchel is selecting his final squad, but with all these talented stars pushing each other to higher levels, England will possess one of the strongest and deepest squads at the competition.

Harry Kane

Finally, England will have arguably the best and most in-form striker in world football leading the line at the World Cup.

The Bayern Munich striker is enjoying a remarkable 2025-26 campaign, boasting a stunning 58 goals and eight assists in 54 games across all competitions at the time of writing - marking the most prolific season of his career to date.

England will be hoping Kane, who won the Golden Boot with six goals at the 2018 World Cup and is the country's all-time top scorer, can carry that form into the summer and help fire them to glory.