Thomas Tuchel's new England deal includes a performance clause, and Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham said the governing body can hold him to it. The two-year extension keeps Tuchel in place through Euro 2028, but it also adds a safeguard before England's World Cup campaign begins.
Bullingham said the clause is standard practice at the FA and refused to spell out its terms, but he made clear the contract gives the federation leverage if results fall short. That matters because Tuchel was given the remit to win the World Cup when England appointed him in 2024.
Bullingham on Tuchel's deal
“There's performance clauses in every single contract at the FA, but I'm not going into any detail of what they are,” Bullingham said at England's World Cup media centre in Kansas City. He also added, “We can hold him to the contract.”
The language leaves Tuchel tied to England on a deal that runs to the end of Euro 2028, while preserving the FA's ability to act if the manager's work does not match expectations. Bullingham also said, “You never really want that hanging over you when you get into a tournament.”
England's World Cup timeline
Tuchel formally took up his role as England boss on 1 January 2025, after the FA and Tuchel agreed a new two-year contract earlier in 2025. The extension arrived before the World Cup, despite criticism that his original mission was framed around winning England's second World Cup.
That timing puts the contract into play before a ball is kicked in the tournament. England launch their World Cup campaign on Wednesday against Croatia in Arlington, Texas at 21:00 BST.
Croatia in Arlington
The immediate pressure now sits on the opening match, not the paperwork. England start against Croatia with Tuchel already under a deal that stretches beyond the tournament and through Euro 2028, which means his early results will sit against a longer appointment than the one that brought him into the job.
For the FA, the clause creates a clear line between tournament form and the manager's future. For Tuchel, it means the first World Cup game arrives with the contract terms already settled and the consequences already written into them.
