Thomas Tuchel, head coach of the England national football team, revealed he feels no regret over the decisions he made in the second half of the 2026 World Cup semi-final against Argentina, after the Three Lions led 1-0 but lost 2-1. Speaking to reporters before the match against France early Sunday for the third-place playoff, Tuchel said: ‘If you ask me if I regret my decisions, and if that is the question, then I answer no, I do not regret my decisions because I felt we had become too passive. I made several decisions based on trust in my instinct, intuition, experience, and competitive spirit, and I made the decision to help the team and achieve the desired result. I would have regretted if I had not helped, I would have regretted if we had not responded, but I feel no regret about the decision itself.’ Tuchel faced widespread criticism over his substitutions and defensive tactics, as Argentina besieged England’s penalty area before scoring two goals in the final minutes to reach the final against Spain on Sunday evening. Tuchel acknowledged that England’s win over Mexico in the round of 16 played at high altitude, and the extra-time victory over Norway in the quarter-finals in Miami’s oppressive heat, along with extensive travel, may have taken a toll on him and affected him negatively. The German coach stressed that viewing his substitution decisions purely from an offensive and defensive perspective is an oversimplification, and that the match was more complex in his view, adding: ‘No one knows the outcome of making other substitutions or different changes. If there is a pursuit of excitement or a desire to assign blame, well, you can do that but I have the right not to engage in it.’ Tuchel refused to respond when asked about comments that described his substitutions as ‘cowardly’, adding: ‘I don’t read praise and I don’t pay attention to such comments. If we win, we will achieve our best World Cup result in 60 years. That is the angle from which to view it.’ England won the World Cup in 1966, but lost their previous two third-place matches after semi-final defeats in 1990 and 2018. Tuchel indicated he would make some changes to the lineup against France, which he saw as an opportunity for England to show they have closed the gap with the best teams in the world. He added: ‘No one wanted to play the third-place match. All four teams wanted to be in the final, but it is an official World Cup match, a big match against one of the best teams.’ England face France in Miami to determine third place in the 2026 World Cup.