FIFA update its guidelines after Thomas Tuchel made complaint following England's World Cup opener

FIFA has updated its guidelines after Thomas Tuchel begged the governing body to change to a pre-match protocol that "ruined" a "very special moment" ahead of England's World Cup opener.

The Three Lions got their World Cup campaign off to a great start on Wednesday as goals from Harry Kane (2), Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford sealed a 4-2 win over Croatia.

As a result, Thomas Tuchel became the first foreign manager to win his first game as England boss at a major tournament.

It was a memorable afternoon for Tuchel, although his first experience managing at the World Cup was "ruined a little bit" before a ball was kicked.

As England players gathered around the centre circle to sing the national anthem, photographers obstructed Tuchel's view and denied him the chance to watch any of his players.

Footage soon emerged of a frustrated Tuchel speaking to the photographers. "Very close guys, you're very close," he said at the AT&T Stadium in Texas. "You're very close I cannot see anything."

Thomas Tuchel couldn't see his England side sing the national anthem because of a wall of photographers 🎶🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

He wasn't impressed 😠 pic.twitter.com/Aj7vvWYZMJ

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 18, 2026

Speaking in his post-match press conference, the German complained about the incident.

"I have to tell you something, I am begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers in the national anthem because I could not see my team in the national anthem," Tuchel said.

"I was waiting for this moment. It was a very, very special moment today and I was standing in front of a wall of 50 photographers, half a metre away, and I could not see one single player."

"It ruined a little bit of my experience," added Tuchel. "It is very emotional. When I was young and when I started coaching, this was too big to dream of this kind of occasion."

After the complaint from Tuchel, FIFA has now updated its guidelines to give national team head coaches the option to stand to the left or right of the photographers during the pre-match ceremony.

READ MORE: England made major kit change for World Cup opener that nobody noticed

Thomas Tuchel provides injury update on Declan Rice as he limps off against Croatia

Declan Rice was withdrawn in the 72nd minute of England's opener against Croatia and, as he made his way towards the bench, he could be seen limping, which has led to concerns about Rice’s fitness.

Tuchel later provided a fitness update on the Arsenal midfielder.

"Declan had some unusual ball losses, and I saw a bit of discomfort," he told ITV. “Then I asked him, and he pointed directly to his lower back, upper hamstring, that he feels the discomfort.

“I didn’t want to take any risks. If I take Declan off, which I never want to do, but it was the moment to protect him, and I think Reece James did so well to replace in central midfield. He had a fantastic game. That’s that."

“I hope it is nothing more," added Tuchel. "Declan’s just reassured me at the end, 'It's good, it’s good,' and I know the discomfort. We will take care of it, and it is nothing big to worry about.”

Rice claimed he was "good as gold" in his post-match interview. However, he did confirm that he had been nursing this injury for a sustained period.