Before Thomas Tuchel’s debut

Thomas Tuchel is in charge of England’s first game getting closer. The Germans will play against Albania at Wembley on March 21 to compete in the first qualifiers of the 2026 World Cup.

Nothing can be tolerated except for a comfortable victory, especially in some parts of the media already awaiting his first mistake. Given his talent, England should easily win the World Cup. The question is, what should they do when they get there?

Many managers experience the same feeling and are easily qualified before failing in major competition. Fabio Capello, Sven-Goran Eriksson and Roy Hodgson failed to reach the last game they did during the qualifying round.

Tacher may be the one who will eventually lead England to another major international title. With his first game approaching, we review the first game of each England manager.

There are 15 permanent England managers over the years, so sit down, drink and enjoy the trip.

1

Walter Winterbottom

Ireland 2-7 England, 1946 UK Home Championship

Walter Winterbottom became the first manager of the England national team in 1946. Prior to this, the team was selected by various international selectors, who also chose to start XI.

Winterbottom was in charge of the country between 1946 and 1963, and his first match was played against Ireland in the 1946 home championship game.

It turned out to be a good start as England won the opponent with a 7-2 victory. His last match was in the November 1962 match against Wales, winning 4-0 in the same match – he won 13 times in the spell as head coach.

2

Sir Alf Ramsey

France 5-2 England, 1964 European countries’ Cup Qualification

Alf Ramsey will stand out among history books, the first book – so far only managers – led England to a major international trophy and won the World Cup in 1966.

However, his rule began his worst start when they were beaten at the hands of France.

A 5-2 loss ensured that England was not eligible for the main stage of the 1964 European Cup (later known as the European Champions League), which was won by Spain.

Ramsey, along with the World Cup, led England to the 1970 version of the quarterfinals, falling to West Germany, while they were eligible for the 1968 European Championship, losing to Yugoslavia in the semi-finals.

His last game was in 1973, as England failed to qualify for the World Cup the following year.

3

Don Review

England 3-0 Czechoslovakia, 1976 Euro Qualifying Tournament

Don Revie took Leeds United from the second division to the top flight and then arguably the best club in England. The two league champions won the championship together with the FA Cup and the League Cup, but they should win more titles.

With that in mind, he was the best choice to lead England, and his first match was a success, defeating Czechoslovakia 3-0 in 1974.

England failed to qualify for the 1976 European Championship as Revie beat the match in his first match and eventually won the match.

4

Ron Greenwood

England 0-0 Switzerland, friendly

Ron Greenwood led West Ham United to the FA Cup in 1964, the European Cup Champions League in the second year. He was appointed as the safe option in 1977.

His first game was a friendly clash with Switzerland, ending the game 0-0. During his reign, he qualified for the 1982 World Cup football match. Although they entered the second stage, England failed to score in two matches and was eliminated.

5

Sir Bobby Robson

Denmark 2-2 England, 1984 European Euro Qualifying Tournament

Sir Bobby Robson was successful in Ipswich Town, winning the FA Cup and UEFA Cup, which showed he was the best choice for the role.

His first game with Denmark ended with a 2-2 draw. The Danes finally secured the qualifying match for the 1984 European Championship. Robson eventually led England to the World Cup finals in the 1986 and 1988 European Cups.

It was their performance in Italy No. 90 that brought Robson to the semifinals and lost to West Geran.

6

Graham Taylor

England 1-0 Hungary, friendly

Graham Taylor was in charge of England’s first match with a 1-0 victory over Hungary at Wembley. Although England failed to surpass the group stage, he managed to lead the country to the 1992 European Cup.

More conflicts will occur as Taylor was unable to bring England to the 1994 World Cup and suffered defeats from the Netherlands and Norway.

7

Terry Venables

England 1-0 Denmark, friendly

Terry Venables took over the job from Taylor and won the Denmark victory in his first match. As England hosted the 1996 European Bank of Europe, England did not play any qualifying matches, relying on various friendships to keep them ticking.

The semi-finals have been England’s best performance since the 1990 World Cup, but the free throw defeat against Germany proved to be the Venables responsible for his country’s finals.

8

Glenn Hoddle

Moldova 0-3 England, qualifying match at the 1998 World Cup

Glenn Hoddle defeated Moldova 3-0 in his first game, his three Tired Lions, one of the young David Beckham made his debut in England.

He led the United States to the 1998 World Cup and hoped to play very high. England has been eliminated again in the last 16 times facing Argentina.

His last match was in November of the same year with the Czech Republic and the Czech Republic.

9

Kevin Keegan

England 3-1 Poland, 2000 euros qualification

Kevin Keegan’s domination dropped to the flyer to beat Poland 3-1 as they won, hoping to qualify for 2,000 euros.

They blocked their positions in matches held in Belgium and the Netherlands, but defeating Portugal and Romania ensured that the country flew home soon.

He allegedly resigned after losing 1-0 to Germany in October 2000, allegedly in the toilet.

10

Sven-Goran Eriksson

England 3-0 Spain, friendly

Sven-Goran Eriksson became England’s first foreign coach and began his term with a friendly against Spain 3-0.

In his five and a half years of responsibility, Eriksson led the country to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2002 and 2006 and 2004.

He should have what is called the “golden generation” and he should reach at least one final, but proved to be his undo frequency.

11

Steve McClaren

England 4-0 Greece, friendly

Steve McClaren was chosen as Eriksson’s successor and the future looks bright after Greece beat Greece 4-0 in his first game.

This is as good as the former Middlesbrough manager. England beat Croatia 3-2 in November 2007, meaning they are not eligible for the 2008 European Cup, the first time they missed a major tournament in 14 years.

The nickname “Wally” toured with Brolly as he used an umbrella throughout the competition and saw his reign end in disaster.

12

Fabio Capello

England 2-1 Switzerland, friendly

To secure the service with Fabio Capello, a man who ruled Serie A and Europe in Serie A and Europe, is seen as a huge coup for the Football Association.

The seeds were sown in a successful World Cup qualifier but the situation in South Africa became sour. The last 16 defeats of Germany were their worst results at this stage since 1998.

13

Roy Hodgson

Norway 0-1 England, friendly

Roy Hodgson was appointed ahead of the 2012 European Cup and led England to win the game.

England entered the quarterfinals of the match but lost to Italy. Two years later, Hodgson’s side fell into frustration in Brazil, where they were in the World Cup, and they were beaten by Iceland in 16 rounds of the 2016 Europa League.

14

Sam Allardyce

Slovakia 0-1 England, 2018 World Cup Qualifying Tournament

Sam Allardyce is only a manager in England: a match against Slovakia in 2016, which kicked off the 2018 World Cup qualification.

He left later that month after newspaper investigations claimed he was advising on how to “avoid” rules regarding player transfers.

His single-game domination is the shortest of any permanent England manager.

15

Gareth Southgate

England 2-0 Malta, 2018 World Cup Qualifying Tournament

Gareth Southgate took over from Allardyce after the scandal and led England to the 2018 World Cup football match. His first game was to beat Malta 2-0 to keep the campaign going.

In the competition, they reached the semi-finals for the first time since 1990, and then Southgate was so close to glory at the 2020 European Silver Awards (Euro Oo 2020), losing to Italy in the final.

The final 2024-partnering euro was heartbreaking after losing to France in the 2022 World Cup. A 2-1 defeat against Spain means England’s waiting for another major trophy will be extended to its sixth decade.