Thomas Tuchel confessed that after England's dramatic victory over Mexico at the 2026 World Cup, he wished he had chewed on some grass from the historic Azteca pitch to keep a piece of that moment forever inside him. That off‑the‑cuff remark is just one of many vivid anecdotes the England manager shared in the newly released FA documentary, "Reflections: England's World Cup Journey." In the film, Tuchel sits down with former England striker and Sky Sports analyst Daniel Sturridge to dissect the Lionesses' (actually the men's team’s) campaign, which ultimately concluded with a third‑place finish after a semi‑final loss to Argentina. The most talked‑about match of the tournament was England's round‑of‑16 clash in Mexico City, where the three‑point‑plus‑three‑point‑plus‑two‑point win over the host nation was secured despite playing more than half an hour with only ten men.
"I texted a friend after the match and I just wrote, 'I regret that I didn't eat some grass after the match to keep something from this in my body forever'," Tuchel recalled, laughing as he described the impulsive wish to ingest a fragment of the iconic stadium. Beyond the humor, Tuchel highlighted the deep camaraderie displayed when captain Jordan Henderson suffered a broken arm during the post‑match celebrations. "If you needed any proof of what it meant to these players and how they were with each other, it was the moment when Jordan fell over and broke his arm," Tuchel said. He went on to describe how, in an instant, every teammate halted the revelry, formed a protective shield around Henderson, and showed genuine empathy.
"Within a second, the players were there, every single player was there, stopping the celebrations, building a shield, protecting Jordan and not going nowhere in full empathy. It was just so special," he added. The documentary is scheduled to debut on Wednesday, September 16, exclusively via the England app.
Leading up to the Mexico encounter, media speculation centered on the altitude of Estadio Azteca and the likelihood of weather‑related delays, which indeed materialized when the kickoff was pushed back. Tuchel explained that the squad found a surprising calm when they arrived for a training session in Mexico, attributing part of their mental readiness to meditation and manifestation techniques.
"In the middle of Mexico City we arrived and it was an oasis – so peaceful, an unbelievable pitch, and a calm that really affected the players," Tuchel described. He recounted that after a gym session the team stepped onto the field, made phone calls, walked around, and absorbed a tranquil energy that seemed to settle the group. "We came up with the line 'silence is powerful', we embraced the silence, knowing we were playing in a hostile environment where the whole nation would be against us. The stadium felt almost impossible to conquer in a World Cup match, so we decided to let the quiet empower us.
We even spent five minutes on match day meditating and visualising the final whistle," he explained. While the FA is currently conducting a thorough review of England's World Cup performance, Tuchel emphasized that the experience forged a stronger bond between him and his players, leaving him eager for the next chapter.
England's upcoming fixtures include a Nations League showdown against reigning champions Spain during the international break, with the 2028 European Championship looming as the next major tournament. Tuchel believes that preparing for the Euros will be less logistically demanding than the trans‑Atlantic planning required for the 2026 World Cup. "It created a huge bond with these players; it feels like they are my players now.
This is the beauty of it," he said. "When a manager experiences both triumphs and painful moments together with his squad, a natural connection forms. I'm happy to see them, happy to challenge them, happy to push them, and very proud to be part of their journey." He went on to express excitement about integrating younger talent into the camp, noting that the team is only one step away from achieving its ultimate goals.
"It's very difficult to prepare a World Cup in the US, but it's possible to prepare for a Euros and be ready in Nations League Tier One. The target is to have another ten matches. We had ten matches in the US – eight wins, one draw, one painful loss – and that gives us a solid platform to build on," Tuchel asserted.
The manager also praised the professionalism and dedication of key players, singling out one forward for his relentless work ethic and relentless drive during training sessions. "He's always there, always in training, always wants to train. The level he has reached since moving to Bayern Munich is extraordinary.
His commitment, his preparation, his speeches after camps – he stands up in the dressing room and says, 'Guys, we keep going in November, this is what we do'," Tuchel said. He added that the player's finishing ability is "out of control good" and that he was arguably one of the tournament's standout performers, not just for England but for the competition as a whole. Tuchel also reflected on the collective mindset of the squad, describing how they lived up to the lofty expectations placed on them by fans and pundits alike.
"Everyone told me, 'wait until the tournament starts, we will have the best fans, we will be right on top, it will be amazing, the amount of people…' and it was just like that from the first moment," he recalled. He noted that the supporters could sense an intangible unity within the team, a feeling that the players were giving everything, sweating, and collapsing after the final whistle from sheer exhaustion.
"That connection was not artificial. It was very special," he concluded. Overall, the documentary offers a rare glimpse into the mental and emotional landscape of England's World Cup run, blending humorous anecdotes—like the grass‑eating wish—with profound reflections on teamwork, resilience, and the power of silence. Fans can look forward to more insights when the film streams on the England app, and the national side now turns its focus to the Nations League matches ahead, hoping to translate the lessons learned in Mexico into continued success on the international stage.