The England head coach was visibly frustrated by how close the photographers were to him before the win over Croatia on Wednesday. Marc Atkins/Getty ImagesJune 18, 2026 Updated 2:28 pm EDTFIFA has 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 after Thomas Tuchel’s complaints following England’s win over Croatia in Dallas.Before England’s World Cup opener got underway on Wednesday night, Tuchel was visibly frustrated by how close the photographers were to him and his coaching staff during the national anthems.“I am begging FIFA to change the position of the photographers, because I could not see my team during the national anthem, and I was waiting for this moment,” Tuchel said.“It was a very, very special moment today and I was standing in front of 50 photographers half a metre away and I could not see one single player. It ruined a little bit my experience today.”Following these comments, FIFA has now made it clear that national team head coaches and their staff will have the option to step out of the dugout and stand alongside the photographers — either to the left or right, depending on which side they are on — to have a clear view of the anthems.One issue in Dallas was that to host World Cup matches, the pitch needed to be raised by just over one metre to make it bigger as it was previously too narrow and would not have complied with the regulations.This meant that the space between the dugout and touchline is tighter than it is in other venues, which led to the scene where Tuchel is stood within touching distance of the photographers.Although the photographers were stood in their designated area, and would not have been allowed to step back onto the pitch to create more space, FIFA recognised that a workaround was needed.Their updated guidelines have already been utilised ahead of Thursday’s 1-1 draw between the Czech Republic and South Africa in Atlanta.The national teams will need to make their preference clear on where the coaches want to stand for the pre-match ceremony in the pre-match operational meeting that takes place before every fixture.Despite the fact that this will be a uniform approach across all 16 venues, it will not be relevant in every stadium as some are bigger than others.Jun 18, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms