Guardiola's Near-Miss with England Job Resurfaces Amid Tuchel Scrutiny
Pep Guardiola once shook hands on a future as England manager. Now, in the aftermath of a brutal World Cup exit, that near-miss is back on the table in every debate, every phone-in, every column.
England’s semi-final defeat to Argentina – a late collapse after leading – has left Thomas Tuchel under heavy fire. His tactics have been dissected and dismissed, his in-game management questioned, his substitutions pulled apart as England let a place in the final slip away. The mood is sour. The noise is loud. And one name keeps cutting through it: Guardiola.
The deal that never was
The Football Association’s interest in Guardiola is not new, nor is it vague. According to The Athletic, the FA went further than polite conversations. They reached what was described as a “verbal agreement” with the Catalan to succeed Gareth Southgate, only for Guardiola to change course and sign on for a longer stay at Manchester City.
England, left without their first choice, pivoted. Tuchel became the man. He was appointed in January 2025, the FA selling a long-term vision built around an elite tactician with a Champions League pedigree and a reputation for sharp, modern football.
Guardiola, meanwhile, rode out his final chapter at City. That chapter is now closed. He is a free agent again, his calendar clear, his next move unknown. Having once agreed to take the England job, logic suggests he would still be open to the idea.
FA loyalty tested after Argentina heartbreak
The timing, on the surface, feels perfect for those dreaming of Guardiola in the Wembley dugout. England have just fallen short on the biggest stage, undone by a late Argentine surge in a semi-final they had controlled for long spells. The post-mortem has been unforgiving. There are open calls for Tuchel to go, for the FA to be ruthless and reset.
But the reality inside the FA is very different.
Despite the anger around the manner of the defeat, the governing body has moved quickly to stand behind Tuchel. Its commitment to the German was reaffirmed in the hours after Wednesday’s loss, and the mood at the top of the organisation is not one of panic. Disappointment, yes. Doubt, no.
Tuchel’s contract even anticipated the possibility of an early split. Clauses were built in that would have allowed either party to walk away if England had crashed out before the quarter-finals. The trapdoor stayed shut. England went deeper into the tournament, and with every knockout round survived, Tuchel’s position strengthened.
There was a further twist around the last-16. When it became clear England were likely to face Mexico at the Estadio Azteca – a daunting assignment in both footballing and emotional terms – an exemption was added. Even an early exit there would not automatically trigger Tuchel’s departure. His team went to Mexico, took the hit of the altitude, the noise, the history, and won 3-2.
From there, they pushed on to the last four. It was only the fourth time in England’s history that the men’s team had reached a World Cup semi-final. That fact matters in Wembley offices, even if it cuts little ice with supporters still replaying Argentina’s comeback in their heads.
The upshot is simple: the clauses that could have ended Tuchel’s reign have not been activated. His future will be discussed in the usual post-tournament review, but all indications are that he will stay.
Long-term bet on Tuchel
The FA has not treated Tuchel as a stopgap. Earlier this year, it underlined that by handing him a contract extension designed to keep him in charge through Euro 2028. This was not a deal built on caution; it was a statement that the FA wanted continuity and a long-term project, not another lurch into short-termism.
Tuchel, for his part, has shown no sign of restlessness. When Manchester United came calling in January, testing the water after sacking Ruben Amorim, he turned them away. No flirting, no leverage play. He stayed where he was, committed to the England role and to the cycle leading into the next European Championship.
So the landscape is starkly defined. On one side, a fanbase bruised by another World Cup near-miss and tantalised by the idea of Guardiola finally taking the job he once verbally accepted. On the other, an FA hierarchy that has built its planning, contracts and messaging around Tuchel as the man to carry England into 2028.
Guardiola is out there, available, the ultimate “what if?” for a nation obsessed with them. Tuchel is in place, backed, and statistically successful enough to survive a semi-final heartbreak.
The question now is not whether England could tempt Guardiola. It’s whether they are truly ready to tear up their own plan to find out.
