Inside 'football nerd' Thomas Tuchel's rise from German fifth-tier to leader of England's World Cup dreams

Though their elimination at the hands of Paraguay was hardly something to celebrate across Germany, at least in one particular corner of Bavaria, there might be less of a need to worry about the prospect of having to split one's affections further into the World Cup. Now that Die Mannschaft are heading back home, the hierarchy at FC Augsburg can get behind one of their own and cheer on England, or to be more precise, their manager Thomas Tuchel.

At 52 years of age, Tuchel ranks among the most experienced and successful coaches in the World Cup field. A domestic champion with Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, he has also won the Champions League with Chelsea and is now bidding to end England's 60-year wait for major silverware at the World Cup. It is quite the rise in a senior coaching career that began among the dilapidated buildings of FC Augsburg II, at the time playing in the fifth tier of German football.

Among those who came under his tutelage were future Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann, like Tuchel, an injury-plagued young defender who would pivot to coaching at an early age. Another was Michael Ströll, who would take an unusual path of his own to a position of great authority. Rejoining the club as an intern in the front office in 2006, Ströll rose up the ranks to be named chief executive of the Bundesliga side in 2024.

With Tuchel's long-standing assistant and video analyst Benjamin Weber on staff as Augsburg's sporting director, there is a flavor to this Bundesliga regular and their senior side that harks back to the B team playing in far less illustrious circumstances. No wonder, when you hear the admiration that their CEO has for his former boss.

"Thomas was a nerd," Ströll tells CBS Sports. "In a positive way. He was so detailed, so ambitious. Already in the fifth league of Germany at that time, you could see those qualities. You couldn't know where he would go, of course, but I was very positive he could have a good career. I just did not know that it would end up in the Bundesliga and the Premier League, winning the Champions League."

How could he? As Ströll notes, imagining such a rise would be "crazy" given where their careers began.

"If you look back 20 years ago, we started in an old building that was broken. No pitches, no hydration at the pitches, really horrible circumstances," he said.

That characterisation of Tuchel as the tactical obsessive has endured ever since and with good cause. Few other elite managers are quite as likely to pepper their press conferences with references to expected goals, whose attention to detail is such that he tried to poach the Olympiacos groundsman when Mainz manager, so impressed was he with the cut of his grass. Perhaps the archetypal Tuchel story involves a lunch with Pep Guardiola, then at Bayern Munich, one which descended into a tactical conference through the medium of salt and pepper shakers.

One wonders how that worked in the lower reaches of late 2000s German football. The answer, of course, is that it didn't. And yet Tuchel found a way.

"At the time, there was no data for the fifth league. What there was was a lot of paper and pens and writing. It doesn't matter whether he has data or technology. He only needs something around to show what he has in mind," Weber said.

"He's really a brain of football."

Tuchel's work at Augsburg II soon caught the eye of Bundesliga side Mainz, who tasked him with building on the work done by Jurgen Klopp. Weber, a former tennis player working in video analysis in the scouting department, was one of the few left on the Mainz staff who was familiar to Tuchel.

Soon, he was promoted to what he describes as something of a threadbare staff, the sort where his work encompassed everything from assessing opposition to hurrying around shops to find the right trainers for their first match together against Bayer Leverkusen. For reasons he cannot quite remember, it was extremely important that they furnished themselves with the right kind of Nikes.

"Every detail was important for us at that moment," says Weber. "There was nobody, it was just him as a head coach and me trying to handle the situations around and to deal with it."

From Mainz to Chelsea via Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain, Weber and Tuchel would be together for 14 years of a "very tense, very big friendship", one with "very many experiences together on the positive but also on the negative". Who could have believed that the coaching wunderkind of the German fifth tier would eventually have to hold Chelsea together amid the chaos of early 2022 as sanctions on owner Roman Abramovich forced Tuchel, long known for his combustibility, to act as an emotional shield for Chelsea's fans, players and employees.

"I learned a lot, a lot," says Weber of their time together at Stamford Bridge. "I learned to be very clear, both in your speech in front of the group and your decisions.

"But I think the main thing is adaptation, to adapt every day, day by day, because the circumstances, the conditions change day by day. You come to the office and suddenly a player is injured or someone wants to leave the club, whatever. You cannot plan for that.

"You try to, and that's very good because you need to have an objective. But this adaptation day by day to deal with new situations, that's the main thing. And this is, in my opinion, also the biggest strength of him, to adapt to every moment in a football game or every moment in a football club."

Those are lessons that Weber has looked to carry through at Augsburg, where his first year as sporting director saw head coach Sandro Wagner sacked in early December, his now permanent successor Manuel Baum leading the Fuggerstädter to a top half finish in the Bundesliga. Almost two decades after playing under Tuchel as a player, Ströll also finds himself harking back to what he was taught at Augsburg II.

"The most impressive thing that I learned from him is always to think not only one step ahead, keep three steps ahead," he says. "There's no difference for him whether it's the fifth league, the Bundesliga or the Champions League.

"You always have to think further and further and further. You cannot stand still because otherwise the other opponents will pass you. That is the most impressive that I got from Thomas from our time together."

And so with no national team to cheer on and (for the time being at least) no Augsburg players in England's path, there will be a little corner of Bavaria, perhaps even just a few offices at the Augsburg Arena, that are rooting for Tuchel through the remainder of this World Cup.

"It would be great if he would win this World Cup with England," says Weber. "He would deserve this much more than many other head coaches, at least from my perspective."

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Aces vs. Liberty live updates, where to watch WNBA Commissioner's Cup: A'ja Wilson out for marquee matchup

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Yahoo Sports StaffWed, July 1, 2026 at 12:07 AM UTC

The Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty will meet in the 2026 WNBA Commissioner's Cup Championship on Tuesday night.

Las Vegas will represent the Western Conference, while New York will represent the Eastern Conference in the sixth annual Cup title game. This final game of the in-season tournament has pride on the line, as well as a $500,000 prize pool.

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The Aces will be without star center A'ja Wilson for the game. She was ruled out due to a right leg injury, but head coach Becky Hammon said that it is not expected to be a long-term issue.

Liberty forward Satou Sabally will also miss the game as she remains in concussion protocol.

Las Vegas enters the game with a 14-5 record, while New York is 12-8 on the year. This championship game does not count toward either team's regular-season record.

So far this season, the Aces and Liberty have played just once. New York won the June 23 matchup 87-76.

Where to watch Aces vs. Liberty in WNBA Commissioner's Cup

Start time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Barclays Center | Brooklyn, N.Y.
TV channel: N/A
Live stream: Amazon Prime Video

Follow along with Yahoo Sports as the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty face off in the WNBA Commissioner's Cup final.

Tue, June 30, 2026 at 5:07 PM PDTTeddy Ricketson
New York Liberty head coach Chris Demarco challenged a foul call against Breanna Stewart with 3:32 left to go in the half.
Jackie Young was driving the lane, and Stewart was on defense. Initially, the refs called a shooting foul.
During the review, though, it was ruled that Stewie had an appropriate defensive position throughout the play, and the call was overturned.
This ended up being a big call as the Liberty forward remains with just one foul early in the game.
Tue, June 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM PDTTeddy Ricketson
With five minutes to go in the first half, New York leads 39-29. The Liberty are led by Ionecu, who has 11 points, largely from connecting on three of her six three-point attempts so far.
Las Vegas has been carried by its bench. Parker-Tyus, Kierstan Bell and Chennedy Carter have combined for 15 points in relief, just more than half of the Aces’ total points so far. The trio also has seven of Las Vegas’ 11 team rebounds so far.
Tue, June 30, 2026 at 4:50 PM PDTTeddy Ricketson
Las Vegas has been able to stay in the game with an uptick on defense. The Aces have four steals compared to just one for the Liberty so far.
The biggest knock for Vegas is that the Aces have not been able to find the deep ball. Early in the second quarter, Las Vegas is 0-7 from deep while New York is 2-6.
The Liberty leads 33-29 with 7:09 left in the first half.
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Tue, June 30, 2026 at 4:43 PM PDTTeddy Ricketson
Liberty lead Aces 27-21 at the end of first quarter
The Liberty are up on the Aces 27-21 to end a high-paced first quarter.
Sabrina Ionescu leads with eight points, but Pauline Astier and Breanna Stewart are right behind her with six points each.
New York is still dominating the glass with 12 rebounds compared to six for Las Vegas.
The Aces have gotten a spark off the bench from Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, who has five points and two rebounds in six minutes so far. Despite missing half the first quarter, Gray has four points and two assists.
Tue, June 30, 2026 at 4:38 PM PDTTeddy Ricketson
Since Gray returned to the game, the Aces have gone on a 10-4 run to narrow the Liberty lead to 22-18 with about a minute and a half left in the first quarter.
Tue, June 30, 2026 at 4:32 PM PDTTeddy Ricketson
Gray returned to the sidelines and has now checked back into the game for Las Vegas. She scored a layup on the team’s first possession after returning to the game.
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Tue, June 30, 2026 at 4:26 PM PDTTeddy Ricketson
Early on, rebounding will be an issue for the Aces, with no Wilson and a lack of size.
Through the first four minutes of the game, Las Vegas doesn’t have a single rebound, while New York is already up to seven rebounds.
The Liberty got out to an 8-2 lead with Ionescu scoring eight consecutive points. Las Vegas hasn’t been able to rebound and establish possession, and with six minutes to go in the first quarter, New York is up 13-4 early.
Tue, June 30, 2026 at 4:21 PM PDTTeddy Ricketson
Chelsea Gray's head collides with Leonie Fiebich, heads to locker room
Aces guard Chelsea Gray was on defense, trying to guard Liberty guard Leonie Fiebich. The New York player’s head collided with Gray, and the Aces guard was hit square in the nose.
She went down on the court, and it looked like she may have been bleeding. After being visited by trainers, Gray was taken to the locker room with a towel on her head.
The play was reviewed, but it was ruled incidental contact.
Tue, June 30, 2026 at 4:06 PM PDTTeddy Ricketson
The Amazon Prime broadcast clarified what was at stake for the game. It was known that $500,000 was at stake, but according to the broadcast, that figure will be split.

Each player on the winning team will receive $30,000, while each player on the runner-up team will earn $10,000.
Money will also be donated to a charity that each team has chosen to support during the Commissioner Cup.
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Tue, June 30, 2026 at 3:58 PM PDTTeddy Ricketson
Liberty starting lineup led by Stewie and Ionescu
Even though New York is coming off a loss in its last game, the Liberty are running the starting lineup back on Tuesday night.
It is worth noting that Satou Sabally remains sidelined in the concussion protocol. She last played in the June 23 win over the Aces, but played only 8 minutes after suffering the concussion against Las Vegas and finished with 0 points and 3 rebounds.
Tue, June 30, 2026 at 3:53 PM PDTTeddy Ricketson
Jewell Lloyd moved to starting lineup with no Wilson
When presented with the challenge of replacing Wilson in the starting lineup, the Aces are going with an extra guard in Jewell Lloyd.
The veteran guard has played in 17 games so far this season for Las Vegas. She is averaging 7.5 points in 27 minutes per game and will be making her first start of the year.
Tue, June 30, 2026 at 3:45 PM PDTTeddy Ricketson
15-Minute Warning!
The 2026 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship between the Aces and the Liberty is scheduled to tip off in 15 minutes at 7 p.m. ET.
As a reminder, the game will air/stream only on Amazon Prime Video.
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Tue, June 30, 2026 at 3:30 PM PDTTeddy Ricketson
2023 Commissioner's Cup Championship Rematch
The Liberty and the Aces have seen plenty of each other in recent years. While they met in the 2023 WNBA Finals, the two franchises also met in that year's WNBA Commissioner's Cup Championship.
The Commissioner's Cup has undergone some tweaks in recent years, and the 2023 iteration was held in mid-August, about a month before the end of the regular season.
New York was down 34-32 at halftime, but then dominated the second half. The Liberty won the game 82-63.
Jonquel Jones was named the MVP of the game, thanks to her double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds.
One of the Aces' biggest problems in that game was that they were unable to lock in from long range. Las Vegas finished just 19% from beyond the arc.
Tue, June 30, 2026 at 3:15 PM PDTTeddy Ricketson
Liberty have lost 4 of their last 5
The New York Liberty are hoping that a 2026 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship against a Wilson-less Aces could be coming at the perfect time to get off the skid they have been on.
The Liberty are 12-8 on the year, but have gone 1-4 over their last five games. While this game against Vegas doesn’t count toward their official record, New York, after dropping consecutive games, could use a boost heading into the second half of the season.
Tue, June 30, 2026 at 3:00 PM PDTTeddy Ricketson
Will Aces be able to make up for Wilson's absence?
Las Vegas will be behind the 8-ball trying to contend without their perennial MVP candidate on Tuesday night.
Wilson injured her lower leg in Sunday’s win over the Chicago Sky. She finished the game with 30 points and 15 boards, but had left the game briefly to get checked out in the locker room after rolling her ankle.
The center returned to the game, offering hope that the injury was minor. Still, whether adrenaline faded or out of caution, Wilson will miss Tuesday’s game and the Aces will have to try to make up for her team-leading 25.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 2.0 blocks per game.
Wilson has played in all 19 games for Las Vegas this season. She has led the team in either points or rebounds in all but three.