Following the confirmation of Thomas Tuchel's appointment as England manager, SportsMall looks at who his first match could come against.
Eight days later he officially put pen to paper England agreement, Thomas Tuchel was He was confirmed as the new head coach of the Three Lions Wednesday morning.
The former Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain boss agreed to take over in 1966. World Cup winners at the start of the October international break, but the announcement was delayed to minimize disruption for the interim manager Lee Carsley And before his team faces Greece and Finland.
Carsley will be in charge of their final two senior squads UEFA Nations League Matches against Greece and Republic of Ireland in November, before managing the Under-21s – As he suggested – Tuchel and Asst Anthony Barry Ready to take over from January 1, 2025.
Carsley managed three wins from his first four games as caretaker England manager in the Nations League, following a shock Lost 2-1 to Greece with a 3-1 win over Finland Inside League B Group 2.
The Three Lions are second in the table following October's mixed results, three points behind a perfect Greece team – who meet in Athens on November 14 – in first place and six ahead of third-placed Ireland, their final opponents of the year on November 17.
Tuchel is set to manage England's first match in March
© Imago
With England on nine points, Greece on 12, Ireland in third and Finland in fourth on zero, the Three Lions cannot finish bottom of League B Group 2 – which would result in immediate relegation to League C – but all other possibilities remain open.
If the Three Lions maintain their current second place, they will qualify for next year's relegation/promotion playoffs, where they will take on one of the four third-placed League A teams for the right to return to the first tier of the Nations League. .
The draw for those two-legged ties will take place on November 22 after all group matches have been completed, with the playoffs taking place on March 20 and March 23, with all second-placed League B teams hosting the first leg.
As it stands, the only League A teams England cannot face in the play-offs are Spain and Duchel's home country Germany – both already guaranteed top two places in their respective groups – but Portugal, Italy, France and the like. Belgium, Croatia and the Netherlands are capable of taking third place.
Poland, Belgium, Hungary and Serbia currently occupy the four third-placed spots in League A, while Bosnia-Herzegovina, Switzerland, Israel and Scotland could qualify for the playoffs.
Who could England face in Nations League Group C?
© Imago
Alternatively, if England lose both of their matches next month and Ireland win both – at the same time Trailing 2-0 in the first match Tuchel's debut could be in the League B/League C relegation/promotion playoffs – with the Three Lions in September.
In that scenario, England will face the runner-up from the third tier on March 20 and 23 in the first leg before hosting the second, and there are currently 12 League C teams in the play-off.
Slovakia, Kosovo, Belarus and Armenia are second in their respective League C groups, but Sweden, Romania, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Latvia and the Faroe Islands could also mathematically finish as runners-up.
However, if England can overtake Greece in the League B Group 2 standings, they will automatically be promoted to League A without the need for a two-legged playoff.
In that scenario, Tuchel's first game as head coach would be World Cup 2026 qualification in March, although a date for the UEFA draw has yet to be set.
