The England head coach was pressed repeatedly on his future at Wednesday’s press conference, and every answer landed in the same place: he is not leaving before the Euros.

“No release clause and there’s no intention. I signed a contract, I want to stay until the Euros. I want to do the Euros. We have unfinished business,” Tuchel told reporters ahead of Thursday’s Nations League tie with Croatia, as relayed by the PA news agency.

When he was pressed on whether there was genuinely zero chance of a big club tempting him away before the tournament, he answered flatly: “I would say so.”

“I miss the 50 matches”

The flipside was less guarded. Tuchel made no attempt to hide the pull of club football, where he built his reputation before the Football Association hired him to take over the national team.

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“I miss my players, and I miss my team, and I miss the 50 matches that I’m not involved in a year,” Tuchel told the press conference, as reported by Brit Brief, describing the minutes before kick-off as the best of the job.

The admission tracks the central tension of any national-team posting: the international calendar delivers a handful of camps a year, not the weekly cycle of training, matchday and recovery that a club job runs on.

Contract extended, break clause closed off

Tuchel’s words sit on top of a contract that was reinforced earlier this year. He signed a two-year extension in February 2026, taking his deal through the summer of 2028 and locking him in for a home European Championship.

His original deal contained a performance-related break clause tied to England’s run at the 2026 World Cup. Tuchel has said he did not insert a release clause of his own when he put pen to paper on the new deal, meaning neither side now has an easy exit before the Euros.

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He made clear that the backing from his employers has been one of the things keeping him in post. “I love my players. I love my staff, and I have bosses who trust me,” he said.

Croatia at Wembley, then Spain in Madrid

England face Croatia at Wembley on Thursday, November 12, before traveling to Madrid for a trip to face Spain on Sunday, November 15. The team sits top of its Nations League group and is in strong position to seal a quarter-final place for March, a competition Tuchel has said he is “desperate to win” alongside the Euros push.

Harry Kane is set to earn his 126th cap at a sold-out Wembley on Thursday, moving him clear of Peter Shilton at the top of England’s all-time appearances list, with Shilton set to lead a special pre-match presentation.

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