England midfielder, Declan Rice, says the national team is closing in on major tournament success after the Three Lions secured third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a dramatic 6-4 victory over France.
The result earned England the bronze medal and their best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966, days after a painful semi-final defeat to defending champions Argentina.
Reflecting on the campaign, Rice praised the squad’s progress but admitted the players remain frustrated at falling short of the final.
“This is the best England group for a very long time. That’s a fact. No-one can take that away from us,” Rice said.
“I think we can be proud as a group, we are just gutted we lost in that semi-final.
“We’re tired of saying we’re proud of coming in semi-finals and quarter-finals, we want to win with England ultimately. But to come third in this tournament is a real achievement.
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“We’re so close, honestly. There’s been so much talk about this group over the last few years going out of tournaments. There’s been semi-final exits, quarter-finals, finals.
“I think we need to keep going. I do think it’s close. It’s a game of small margins. It’s football and the other night we lost on margins and in the boxes.”
England assistant manager, Anthony Barry, also paid an emotional tribute to the players after the victory, describing the squad as a group “playing with broken hearts” following the semi-final loss.
Speaking at half-time during the match against France, Barry struggled to contain his emotions.
“There’s no frustration. I’m a little bit emotional,” he said.
“I can’t find the words to describe how proud I am of these players. They’re playing a game with broken hearts. I see 11 lads on the field with broken hearts.
“I’ve seen them in the hotel the last few days with broken hearts. And they can build a performance like that through pride of playing for England.
“The team spirit over the last seven weeks has been a privilege to watch.”
Captain Harry Kane, who was an unused substitute against France after scoring six goals during the tournament, praised the spirit within the England squad and expressed confidence in Tuchel’s leadership.
“One of the best England groups that I have ever been a part of,” Kane said.
“When you see the boys around the hotel, when you see us training on the pitch, when you see us in the changing room, it is a unique group. We had that bond and had so much belief in each other.”
On Tuchel, Kane added: “It is his first major tournament. I think he has learned a lot of the squad, the campaign, the travel and the games and what it takes – the pressure.”
Bukayo Saka, who scored a hat-trick against France after remaining on the bench throughout the semi-final defeat to Argentina, said he was fully fit despite limited involvement in the latter stages of the tournament.
“Of course, I would love to have played more but it’s too late to talk about that,” Saka said.
“I try to do my talking on the pitch and it’s done now, move on. I’m fit.”
Asked about criticism surrounding Tuchel, Saka said: “I think that’s just part of the game… it’s how you react to it, how you use it as fuel and today we finished strong and that’s all we could really do and we did that.”
England will now turn their attention to preparations for UEFA Euro 2028, which will be co-hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, with Tuchel expected to remain in charge as the team seeks to end its long wait for another major international title.
