Should Thomas Tuchel sing the England national anthem at the World Cup? Have your say

Should Thomas Tuchel sing the England national anthem at the World Cup? Have your say Thomas Tuchel will lead England into their first match of the 2026 World Cup against Croatia and while the German has been hard at work preparing his side, Mirror Football readers have been debated his pre-match routine England fans will be keeping their eyes on Thomas Tuchel ahead of the Three Lions’ World Cup opener. Tuchel’s side take on European rivals Croatia in their first group game of the tournament. The game will see England kick off their latest World Cup campaign, having had some near misses in previous major tournaments. Former boss Gareth Southgate masterminded those runs, having been a passionate leader for England. A former defender, Southgate regularly belted out the national anthem, whether that be at Wembley or abroad. Being a German, current head coach Tuchel has not taken the same approach. He has opted to not sing the national anthem so far and speaking ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Croatia, he vowed not to unless England reach the final in New Jersey. Asked if he was ready to sing, Tuchel replied: “Not yet. I think we are not there yet. At the very end [of the tournament], maybe. I am still a bit shy. I don't want to offend people and don't want to have the focus on that now.” Asked if he had managed to learn the words yet, Tuchel cheekily replied: “It's not so difficult." Tuchel previously made his stance very clear over singing the national anthem at his unveiling as England manager. He said: “I understand it is a personal decision; there are managers who sing and some who don’t. “I have not made my decision yet. No matter what decision I take, I will always show my respect to the country and a very moving anthem.” He then addressed the issue again last year. Tuchel said: “First of all, you have a very powerful, emotional and meaningful national anthem and I could not be more proud to be on the sideline and be in charge of the English national team. ‘It means everything. But I can feel because it is that meaningful and it is that emotional and it is so powerful that I have to earn my right to sing it. I feel that it is not just a given. You cannot just sing it. “I will earn the right with results, with building a group, with doing my job properly and by creating a feeling where maybe even you guys [in the media] say at some point: ‘Now it’s time that you sing it. It feels like you properly earn it and you’re a proper English guy now! “Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like: ‘He should sing it now, he’s one of our own; he’s the English manager, he should sing it.” But do you think Tuchel should be signing the national anthem or not? Have your say in our Mirror Football poll: