England national anthem row takes fresh twist with Thomas Tuchel 'unlikely' to be appeased by rule change

Thomas Tuchel is unlikely to be appeased by FIFA's attempt to resolve his row with photographers after England's World Cup opener, despite football's governing body moving swiftly to alter pre-match procedures.

The England manager was left furious before Wednesday night's thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia after photographers blocked his view of the Three Lions during the national anthem, forcing him to watch the moment unfold on a giant screen instead.

FIFA have since responded by tweaking arrangements for Thursday's fixtures, with photographers instructed to stand closer together while coaching staff are expected to move to either side of the dugout area.

However, according to the Daily Mail, the compromise may fail to satisfy Tuchel.

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It is said the German is unlikely to react positively to any proposal that requires him to shift away from his position in the technical area, meaning FIFA could yet be forced to come up with an alternative solution.

One option under consideration would be to move photographers to one side of the pitch altogether, similar to the setup regularly used at Wembley.

At England's national stadium, photographers taking pictures during the anthems are positioned between the two dugouts, ensuring both coaching teams have an unobstructed view of their players.

That was not possible in Dallas, where limited space around the benches created problems for officials.

Thomas Tuchel appeared slightly frustrated after the photographers blocked his view during the national anthem 😬📸 pic.twitter.com/1aISKVQN0T

— PurelyFootball ℗ (@PurelyFootball) June 18, 2026

Tuchel had spoken of his desire to watch his players sing "God Save the King" before the match, viewing it as one of the standout moments of England's World Cup campaign.

Instead, the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss was left visibly irritated as around 50 photographers gathered directly in front of him.

After the match, Tuchel urged FIFA to make changes.

"I'm begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers, because I could not see my team [during] the national anthem, and I was waiting for this moment," he said.

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Video footage from the touchline showed Tuchel confronting photographers moments before kick-off.

"Very close guys, you're very close. You're very close I cannot see anything," he said.

The 52-year-old spread his arms in frustration and appeared ready to make his way through the crowd before abandoning the idea and linking arms with members of his coaching staff as the anthem began.

Unable to catch sight of his players, Tuchel instead turned his attention to the stadium's big screen.

"It was a very, very special moment today and I was standing in front of 50 photographers half a metre away and I could not see one single player," he added.

"It ruined a little bit my experience."

The issue could resurface over the coming days, with England's next two World Cup matches set to be played in Boston and New York.

Both venues were built primarily for NFL teams and have similarly restricted areas surrounding the dugouts, raising the prospect of further tension unless FIFA can find a solution that keeps Tuchel happy.

England were impressive in their 4-2 win over Croatia on Wednesday.

Harry Kane scored twice, with Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford on target, as they got their campaign off to a flying start.

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