'I am begging FIFA to change': Here's why Thomas Tuchel was left frustrated despite England's winning start World Cup campaign

England manager Thomas Tuchel called on FIFA to revise its pre-match arrangements and reposition photographers after he was unable to see his players during the national anthem ahead of England's 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening FIFA World Cup 2026 match. In his first FIFA World Cup game as a manager, Tuchel described the experience as disappointing after photographers blocked his view while England's players lined up for the national anthem before kick-off.

England made a winning start to their campaign, with captain Harry Kane scoring twice. Croatia responded through Martin Baturina and Petar Musa to level the score on both occasions before halftime. However, second-half goals from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford secured a convincing victory for the Three Lions. Despite the impressive result, Tuchel expressed frustration over not being able to witness what he considered a special moment. "I have to tell you something, I am begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers in the national anthem because I could not see my team in the national anthem. I was waiting for this moment. It was a very, very special moment today, and I was standing in front of a wall of 50 photographers, half a metre away, and I could not see one single player. It ruined a little bit of my experience. It is very emotional. When I was young and when I started coaching, this was too big to dream of this kind of occasion," he said, according to Goal.com.

Tuchel stood silently during ‘God Save The King’ and later revealed how much the occasion meant to him, making the obstruction even more disappointing. The drama continued during the match as Tuchel was involved in a heated exchange with England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Although England had taken an early lead through Kane, Croatia fought back to leave the contest level at 2-2 heading into halftime.

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Switzerland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina Photograph: (WION)

Pitch-side microphones captured Tuchel expressing his frustration with Pickford's decision-making, urging the goalkeeper to distribute the ball to the right-back instead of attempting risky passes while off-balance. When Pickford attempted to respond, Tuchel reportedly replied: “You know what you are supposed to do, do as I told you!” Kane was the standout performer for England, netting twice against Croatia. His first goal came from the penalty spot in the 12th minute, while his second arrived in the 42nd minute to help England establish control before the break.

The brace saw Kane become only the second England player to score in three different FIFA World Cup tournaments (2018, 2022 and 2026), joining David Beckham in achieving the feat. The Bayern Munich striker also matched Gary Lineker's England record of 10 FIFA World Cup goals, the joint-highest tally by an English player in tournament history.

Additionally, Kane set a new FIFA World Cup record by scoring his fifth non-penalty shootout penalty, the most by any player in the competition's history. For Croatia, Ivan Perisic created another milestone by becoming only the second player to register an assist in four different FIFA World Cup tournaments. He joined Lionel Messi as the only footballers to achieve the remarkable feat.