Thomas Tuchel facing FA probe into England’s World Cup exit and rollercoaster campaign including TV row with Bellingham

THE inquest into England’s World Cup exit is set to continue with The FA set to launch a probe into the Three Lions’ rollercoaster tournament. Thomas Tuchel‘s side were eliminated at the semi-final stage as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Argentina. The FA will launch a full probe into England’s performance at the World Cup, including a review of Thomas Tuchel Credit: Alamy England players are said to have directed disappointment of their defensive display at themselves rather than the manager Credit: EPA Naturally, disappointment has been immense as the fallout of that elimination continues. But according to The Times, the FA are now set to launch a full inquest looking at the tournament as a whole, before providing an assessment on the performance of the manager. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Tuchel retains the full support of the FA, and FA chief Mark Bullingham is understood to want to honour Tuchel’s full contract which runs until 2028. England had a topsy-turvy World Cup, which had seen equipment robbed before they had even played their opener against Croatia. They went on to win that game, albeit with a dodgy defensive display to boot, before clean sheets followed against Ghana and Panama, but saw the goals dry up as England struggled to break down low blocks. The same could be said for the DR Congo clash, who took a shock lead before Harry Kane‘s brace got England out of trouble and set up a last 16 game with Mexico at the Azteca. That match was arguably the highlight of the tournament in terms of performance, with England coming through with a narrow win despite being down to 10 men for most of the second half. Next came Norway, with England coming from behind to win in Extra Time. Most read in Sport WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS But the flashpoint of that game came after the final whistle, with Tuchel slamming the England display as “sloppy” in an interview with ITV before that was put to match-winner Jude Bellingham, who didn’t take too kindly to the criticism. Captain Kane went on to accuse the broadcaster of trying to stoke division in the camp before England played Argentina – their biggest World Cup game since the semi-final against Germany in 1990. However, England were initially undaunted by the reigning world champions and took a 1-0 lead through Anthony Gordon. But old habits proved to die hard as England became passive and invited pressure onto themselves when it really mattered, with the situation ultimately not helped by Tuchel’s perceived negative subs. The Times report states FA Insiders are sympathetic to Tuchel over the criticism he is receiving, as at no point did he instruct the team to withdraw into their own half after taking the lead. Reports had said players were unhappy with the defensive display they had shown and had seemingly directed those feelings toward the manager, but FA sources insisted those feelings were actually directed at themselves. Tuchel himself had suggested it was not in England’s “DNA” to keep the ball like it was with the likes of Spain or Argentina, and that had ultimately been a factor in them losing control of the game. Ultimately, Lionel Messi popped up with two assists that condemned England to a third-place play-off against France, while they face Spain for a shot at football‘s ultimate prize in the final. Comment now