Every England manager’s first game in charge ahead of Thomas Tuchel’s debut

Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge of England is getting closer. The German will lead out the nation against Albania at Wembley on 21st March for the first qualifier for the 2026 World Cup.

Anything less than a comfortable victory won’t be tolerated, especially with certain sections of the media already waiting for his first mistake. Given the talent at his disposal, England should qualify for the World Cup with ease. The question is, what can they do when they get there?

Plenty of managers have experienced the same sensation, qualifying easily before failing spectacularly at a major competition. Fabio Capello, Sven-Goran Eriksson and Roy Hodgson failed to reach the final tournament highs that they did during qualification.

Tuchel could be the one to finally lead England to another major international title. With his first game approaching, we have taken a look back at every England manager’s first games in charge.

There have been 15 permanent England managers, so sit back, grab a drink and enjoy this trip down through the years.

1

Walter Winterbottom

Ireland 2-7 England, 1946 British Home Championship

Walter Winterbottom became the first manager of the England national team in 1946. Prior to this, the team was picked by a variety of international selectors, who also chose the starting XI.

Winterbottom was in charge of the nation between 1946 and 1963, with his first match coming against Ireland in the 1946 British Home Championship.

It proved to be an excellent start, as England ran out 7-2 winners over their opponents. His last match came against Wales in November 1962, a 4-0 victory in the same competition – one that he won 13 times during his spell as head coach.

2

Sir Alf Ramsey

France 5-2 England, 1964 European Nations’ Cup qualifying

Alf Ramsey will go down in the history books as the first – and so far, only manager – to lead England to a major international trophy, winning the World Cup in 1966.

However, his reign got off to the worst possible start as they suffered a hammering at the hands of France.

The 5-2 defeat ensured England wouldn’t qualify for the main stages of the 1964 European Nations’ Cup (later to be known as the European Championship), which was won by Spain.

Along with the World Cup in 1966, Ramsey led England to the quarter-finals of the 1970 edition, falling to West Germany, while they qualified for the 1968 European Championship, losing to Yugoslavia in the semi-finals.

His last match came in 1973 as England failed to qualify for the World Cup the following year.

3

Don Revie

England 3-0 Czechoslovakia, Euro 1976 qualifying

Don Revie took Leeds United from the Second Division to the top flight before making them arguably the finest club in England. Two league titles were won, along with the FA Cup and League Cup, but they should have won more.

With this in mind, he was the best choice to lead England, and his first match in charge was a success, securing a 3-0 win over Czechoslovakia in 1974.

England failed to qualify for the 1976 European Championship, as the team Revie had defeated in his first match eventually went on to win the competition.

4

Ron Greenwood

England 0-0 Switzerland, friendly

Ron Greenwood led West Ham United to the FA Cup in 1964 and the European Cup Winners’ Cup the following year. His appointment in 1977 was seen as a safe choice.

His first match was a friendly clash against Switzerland which finished 0-0. During his reign, he secured qualification for the 1982 World Cup. Although they made it to the second group stage, England failed to score in their two games and were eliminated.

5

Sir Bobby Robson

Denmark 2-2 England, Euro 1984 qualifying

Sir Bobby Robson’s success at Ipswich Town, winning the FA Cup and UEFA Cup, indicated that he was the best choice for the role.

His first match against Denmark ended in a 2-2 draw. The Danes ended up securing the qualifying spot for the 1984 European Championship. Robson eventually led England to the finals of the World Cup in 1986 and Euro 1988.

It was their performance at Italia 90 which gave Robson a great send-off as they made it to the semifinals, losing to West Germany.

6

Graham Taylor

England 1-0 Hungary, friendly

Graham Taylor’s first match in charge of England was a 1-0 win over Hungary at Wembley. He managed to lead the nation to Euro 1992, although England failed to make it beyond the group stage.

More strife was to come, as Taylor couldn’t steer England to the 1994 World Cup, suffering defeats to the Netherlands and Norway in qualifying.

7

Terry Venables

England 1-0 Denmark, friendly

Terry Venables took over the job from Taylor, securing a win over Denmark in his first match in charge. Due to England hosting Euro 1996, England didn’t play any qualifiers, relying on various friendlies to keep them ticking over.

A run to the semi-finals of the competition was England’s best display since the 1990 World Cup, but the penalty-shootout defeat to Germany proved to be Venables’ final match in charge of his country.

8

Glenn Hoddle

Moldova 0-3 England, 1998 World Cup qualifying

Glenn Hoddle secured an easy 3-0 win over Moldova in his first game in charge of the Three Lions, which featured a young David Beckham making his England debut.

He led the nation to the 1998 World Cup and hopes were high for the tournament. Facing Argentina in the last 16, England were (once again) knocked out on penalties.

His last match came against the Czech Republic in November that same year.

9

Kevin Keegan

England 3-1 Poland, Euro 2000 qualifying

Kevin Keegan’s reign got off to a flyer, defeating Poland 3-1 as they secured a win in their hopes of qualifying for Euro 2000.

They sealed their place at the tournament held by Belgium and the Netherlands, but defeats to Portugal and Romania ensured the nation flew home early.

He resigned after a 1-0 loss to Germany in October 2000, allegedly in the toilets.

10

Sven-Goran Eriksson

England 3-0 Spain, friendly

Sven-Goran Eriksson became the first foreign coach of England, and began his tenure with an impressive 3-0 win over Spain in a friendly.

Across his five and a half years in charge, Eriksson led the nation to the quarter-finals at the World Cups in 2002 and 2006, as well as at Euro 2004.

Having the so-called ‘golden generation’ at his disposal, he ought to have reached at least one final, but penalties proved to be his undoing more often than not.

11

Steve McClaren

England 4-0 Greece, friendly

Steve McClaren was chosen as Eriksson’s successor, and the future looked bright following a 4-0 thrashing of Greece in his first game in charge.

This was about as good as it got for the former Middlesbrough manager. England suffered a 3-2 defeat to Croatia in November 2007, which meant they failed to qualify for Euro 2008 – the first time they would miss a major tournament in 14 years.

The moniker ‘wally with a brolly’ did the rounds due to him using an umbrella throughout the game and saw his reign end in disaster.

12

Fabio Capello

England 2-1 Switzerland, friendly

Managing to secure the services of Fabio Capello, the man who dominated Serie A and Europe with Milan, was seen as a giant coup for the FA.

A 2-1 win over Switzerland in his first match sowed the seeds ahead of a successful World Cup qualification campaign, but things turned sour in South Africa. A last-16 defeat to Germany was their worst result at this stage since 1998.

13

Roy Hodgson

Norway 0-1 England, friendly

Roy Hodgson was appointed just prior to Euro 2012 and led England to a victory against Norway in the build-up to the tournament.

England made the quarter-finals of the competition, but lost on penalties to Italy. Hodgson’s side were dismal in Brazil two years later as they finished bottom of their World Cup group, while they were defeated by Iceland in the round of 16 at Euro 2016.

14

Sam Allardyce

Slovakia 0-1 England, 2018 World Cup qualifying

Sam Allardyce was only in charge of one game as England manager: a win over Slovakia in 2016 that kick-started the qualification for the 2018 World Cup.

He left later that month after a newspaper investigation claimed he was offering advice on how to “get around” rules on player transfers.

His one-game reign is the shortest of any permanent England manager.

15

Gareth Southgate

England 2-0 Malta, 2018 World Cup qualifying

Gareth Southgate took over from Allardyce in the wake of his scandal and led England to the 2018 World Cup. His first match in charge was a 2-0 win over Malta to keep up momentum in the campaign.

At the tournament, they reached the semi-finals for the first time since 1990, before Southgate came so close to glory at Euro 2020, losing to Italy in the final.

A quarter-final loss to France at the 2022 World Cup was followed by more final heartbreak at the Euros in 2024. The 2-1 defeat to Spain means England’s wait for another major trophy will extend into a sixth decade.