"Most England fans today weren't alive when we won it in 1966, Tyler tells FourFourTwo. Winning the World Cup is a great milestone but the weight of expectation nowadays seems more like a millstone. Now the country is fuelled by the Lionesses' successes of back-to-back European Championships. They did it in a thrilling way because it wasn't a smooth ride at all."
"That has thrown down a challenge for the men's team. Sarina Wiegman has proved that a foreign coach can work for England Thomas Tuchel should draw heart from that. However, no-one has done it in the men's game since the late great Sir Alf Ramsey. It's a hugely competitive field, first to qualify and then be the winner from 48 teams. There will be over 100 games in the finals next year. England won with 16 countries playing now we've got three times that amount."
Martin Tyler has commentated at every World Cup since 1974 and is preparing for the 2026 tournament in North America. England aims to end a 60-year wait to lift the trophy, while national expectations have grown following the Lionesses' back-to-back European Championship victories. Those tournament wins were hard-fought rather than straightforward, raising the bar for the men's team. Sarina Wiegman's success demonstrates that a foreign coach can succeed with England, a point from which Thomas Tuchel can draw encouragement. The men's World Cup now features 48 teams and over 100 finals matches, making qualification and victory far more demanding. Tyler enjoyed a recent commentary stint in the USA at the 2025 Club World Cup, a competition that attracted criticism, and hopes to return to commentate next summer.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
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