World Cup 2026: Thomas Tuchel says England will stick to Southgate penalty plan

England manager Thomas Tuchel had revealed that his team will follow his predecessor Sir Gareth Southgate’s penalty shootout blueprint at the World Cup.

Tuchel’s side face DR Congo in their first knockout game of the tournament on Wednesday, a scenario that opens up the potential for penalties.

The match, which kicks off in Atlanta at 17:00 BST, is live on BBC One and iPlayer.

Prior to Southgate’s appointment as manager in 2016, the national team had a poor record in major tournament shootouts – winning just one of seven.

But under Southgate, England took their penalty preparations to a new level which resulted in three out of four successes between 2018 and 2024.

“The FA [Football Association] has a programme that has been in place for years and we follow the programme,” Tuchel said.

“We are prepared. We have a process, the players have a process.”

Despite the plan, Tuchel also added a note of caution.

“I think it is difficult to simulate the situation [of a shootout],” he said.

“I heard Thierry Henry say he can’t remember the walk from the halfway line to the penalty spot in his first penalty shootout for France – you cannot train that.”

Asked if the players will be given the option to take a penalty, Tuchel replied: “We know who takes them and we know the order, but we don’t know who finishes the game.”