England head coach Thomas Tuchel’s new two-year contract extension includes a performance clause, Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham has confirmed.
Bullingham made the revelation while speaking at England’s World Cup media centre in Kansas City ahead of the tournament’s opening fixtures.
Tuchel’s original deal was set to expire at the end of the World Cup, but the FA agreed a new two-year extension earlier this year that runs through to Euro 2028.
When asked whether the FA had protected itself in the event of a poor World Cup performance, Bullingham was clear that safeguards exist within the agreement.
“There’s performance clauses in every single contract at the FA, but I’m not going into any detail of what they are,” said Bullingham.
Asked separately whether Tuchel himself holds a break clause that he could activate, Bullingham responded firmly: “We can hold him to the contract.”
The FA has faced significant criticism for handing the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss fresh terms before knowing the outcome of his original mission.
Tuchel was appointed in 2024 with the explicit remit of winning England’s second World Cup, making the pre-tournament extension a contentious decision for many observers.
Bullingham mounted a strong defence of the governing body’s approach, insisting that top-level managers of Tuchel’s calibre could not simply be kept waiting while their futures remained unresolved.
“The reality is he’s a top-level manager who would be in demand and we knew we had someone who was doing a really good job and we can’t just expect someone to wait around and just leave it and see how you go,” Bullingham said.
The FA chief also stressed that uncertainty over a manager’s future was the last thing any organisation wanted hanging over a major tournament.
“You never really want that hanging over you when you get into a tournament,” he said, outlining the governing body’s desire to remove that distraction entirely.
Bullingham framed the extension as a forward-looking decision centred on Euro 2028, which England will host, describing it as an even more pressurised environment than the current World Cup.
“It’s a very important home tournament for us and we wanted the best chance to do the best we can and we felt we had a very good manager, so why not extend?” he said.
England begin their World Cup campaign on Wednesday when they face Croatia in Arlington, Texas, with kick-off scheduled for 21:00 BST.
Bullingham also addressed the topic of hydration breaks, which Fifa has permitted during each half of World Cup matches due to the hot and humid conditions teams are facing in the United States.
Coaches are permitted to brief their players during these breaks, giving them a tactical dimension beyond simple player welfare considerations.
“I think they will be critical for every European team,” said Bullingham, adding that from a player welfare standpoint the breaks were “really important.”
However, when asked whether such breaks might be introduced at Euro 2028, Bullingham was dismissive: “I don’t think so – I wouldn’t have thought that at all.”
