\u201cEveryone knows that we cannot promise that we win it but they want to see a team, a team spirit, a team that gives everything and fights for each other,\u201d Tuchel said. \u201cIf the players bring that then I think anything is possible. We will be brave enough to dream about it, we will be brave enough to try it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel the change in expectation and a change in the feedback I get from fans and people who I meet because they like what they saw. Am I more confident now? Yes. Because we have got better. We have to arrive and try to make a special thing happen but we cannot guarantee it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tuchel said in interviews with the BBC and ITV that the draw would feel \u201csurreal\u201d. He was \u201ccurious and excited\u201d and, channelling the \u201cbring it on\u201d spirit he has pushed with the players, he made it clear that there was no opponent he wanted to avoid.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely not,\u201d Tuchel said. \u201cI am very superstitious about this. I learnt this in academy football in Germany and played 40 indoor tournaments and when you thought you had an easier group or wished for one, the opponent had the match of his day and beat you. We just want to know who we face and get the thing going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark Bullingham (right) with Thomas Tuchel. Bullingham said: \u2018We\u2019re really excited about where we are. You can feel the brilliant energy in the camp.\u2019 Photograph: Eddie Keogh\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Tuchel was asked about the prospect of England<\/a> being drawn in the same group as Scotland. \u201cIf it happens, it happens and we make the most of it,\u201d he replied. \u201cIt will be a nice story. I have no wishes on opponents. I think if you wish for something and think you are superior, it\u2019s close to arrogance and you don\u2019t want to be arrogant. We want to respect everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n The German talked about how he was ready to accept difficulties in terms of the heat and humidity that will await at many of the venues in the US, Canada and Mexico; the travel, too, even the potential for delays to matches because of thunderstorms. \u201cIt is more about the mindset than having a solution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n One solution to the extreme temperatures would be to keep the substitutes back in the dressing-room \u2013 something Tuchel did not rule out. \u201cIf this is what helps us later in the match when they come on \u2026 OK, we consider that as a possibility,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Football Daily<\/p>\n Kick off your evenings with the Guardian’s take on the world of football<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Quick GuideWenger backs France as ‘super-favourite’ for 2026 World CupShow Ars\u00e8ne Wenger has described France as the \u201csuper-favourite\u201d for next summer\u2019s World Cup based on their enviable attacking options and major tournament knowhow.<\/p>\n The former Arsenal manager, who is now Fifa\u2019s chief of global football development, cannot see beyond his native France, who won the World Cup in 2018 and were the runners-up in 2022.<\/p>\n The France manager, Didier Deschamps, can call upon an array of talent for his front line including Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9, Hugo Ekitik\u00e9, Marcus Thuram, D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Dou\u00e9, Bradley Barcola and Michael Olise.<\/p>\n Wenger was asked to assess England\u2019s chances and he essentially called them nearly men, though he accepted they too had the quality to win. However, it was not long before he found himself talking up France.<\/p>\n \u201cEngland will be one of the favourites,\u201d Wenger said. \u201cThey are always nearly there to win it \u2013 semi-finals, quarter-final, final. They have to make the next step. They have the quality to do it.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe in Europe, trying to be as objective as possible, that France is the super-favourite just for one reason \u2013 it is the country which has more world-class strikers than any other country in the world. By having four knockout stages [in the expanded 48-team tournament] \u2026 to have such a bench with such good quality will make a difference.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is one thing that is important in life is that when you know you can do it \u2026 when you have done something, it gives you something extra, the belief that you can do it. France has been in the last two finals so we know they can be there and they have the quality of the players.\u201d David Hytner<\/p>\n Photograph: Michael Regan\/FIFA<\/p>\n Thank you for your feedback.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/3247.jpg\")
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