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England manager Thomas Tuchel chose to prioritise rest over scouting his next World Cup 2026 opponents, as the tournament co-hosts comfortably defeated Ecuador to book their place in the round of 16.

The Three Lions’ head coach went to bed early before overseeing a thrilling comeback 2-1 victory against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last 32. Tuchel will now turn his attention to analysing El Tri ahead of England’s high-stakes encounter at the iconic Azteca Stadium on Sunday night.

With the match scheduled to kick off at 1am BST on Monday, many parents in England will face a familiar dilemma — whether to allow their children to stay up late before a school day.

However, Tuchel, who himself opted for an early night on Tuesday following a one-hour weather delay around Mexico City, believes that young fans should be granted a rare late bedtime. England captain Harry Kane, fresh from scoring twice against DR Congo, is expected to lead the line once again.

“I was happy to watch the first half and then it wasn’t on, so I went to sleep at 10 o’clock,” Tuchel told reporters after England’s victory. “That’s quite unusual for me, but somehow I’ve adopted a very early bedtime during this World Cup. I didn’t see the rest of the game, but I checked the result, and I noticed they didn’t concede. It’s going to be a tough one.”

Tuchel also had a special message for parents whose children are eager to stay up and cheer for the national team: “Write an excuse for school. Let them watch football.”

He added, “There’s plenty of school to attend, but the World Cup only comes around every four years. A huge match is coming up in four days. We need everyone’s support — especially from the children.”