Sport
Sarina Wiegman has found the winning formula for England at major tournaments and Thomas Tuchel should take note
In many ways, England’s Women’s Euro 2025 triumph defied logic. The Lionesses led for just four minutes and 52 seconds of the tournament’s knockout rounds, yet got their hands on the trophy by beating Spain in Sunday’s final. Against Sweden, Italy and Spain, England looked to have reached the end of the road. Ultimately, though, this set them up for even more glory.
Sarina Wiegman is now the most successful manager in the history of the English national team, becoming the first boss in men’s or women’s football to lead the country to two major titles. That the Dutchman has made five straight major tournament finals, winning three of them, is outrageous. She has found the winning formula.
Thomas Tuchel should take note of how Wiegman succeeded when so many others doubted her. Tuchel will lead England into the 2026 World Cup with the German expected to end the Three Lions’ 60-year wait for major tournament glory. Anything less than a first World Cup triumph since 1966 will be considered a failure.
Wiegman knows what it’s like to handle this pressure. Having won the last Euros in 2022 and made the final of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, England were widely tipped to flop at Women’s Euro 2025 after enduring a difficult build up to the tournament. Defeat to France in the opening game suggested England would be heading home early.
From that point on, though, Wiegman demonstrated her leadership skills. Reports revealed clear-the-air talks within the dressing room with the England manager emboldening her players to show their quality in the next game against the Netherlands when the Lionesses smashed one of the strongest teams in the tournament 4-0.
England struggled to impose themselves on opponents in the knockout rounds, but always showed belief in their ability, staging comebacks against Sweden and Italy when they appeared to be on their way out of the tournament. Once again, Wiegman empowered her squad to prove themselves when so many were questioning them.
“Squad” being the key term. Wiegman faced criticism for her continued selection of certain players, but the Dutch coach recognised the importance of having finishers to take a hold of the final stages of matches. In particular, Michelle Agyemang and Chloe Kelly have England a different dimension off the bench.
Kelly might have deserved a greater role than an impact sub at a tournament she came to define for the Lionesses, but there was never any sense of the Arsenal attacker sulking at the decision of her manager. Wiegman clearly had buy-in from every player in her squad even if they had been overlooked for the starting lineup.
Tuchel will have the talent at his disposal to lead England to World Cup glory next year. The German has inherited one of the strongest squads in international football with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka considered among the best players in the world.
This, however, was the case at Euro 2024 when England fell short of lifting the trophy. Gareth Southgate made two finals during his time as Three Lions manager and so Tuchel has been hired to make the difference as someone with a strong track record of winning the biggest prizes. Prizes don’t come any bigger than the World Cup.
Wiegman has set the standard as an England manager. Her decisions at Women’s Euro 2025 weren’t always perfect, but her leadership style got the best out of a group of players that wanted to prove they had been written off too hastily. If Tuchel can tap into the same energy, the Three Lions could follow the Lionesses’ lead at the 2026 World Cup.
