Thomas Tuchel has been confirmed as England's new permanent manager on an 18-month contract.

The FA has been seeking Gareth Southgate's successor since he resigned two days after England's Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain in July, opting for the former Chelsea manager.

He will commence his £6m-a-year role on 1 January 2025, becoming England's third foreign manager after Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

In a statement released on Wednesday morning, the FA confirmed that Tuchel signed his contract the previous Tuesday and will be assisted by former Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach Anthony Barry.

Upon his appointment, Tuchel said: "I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team. I have long felt a personal connection to the game in this country, which has already provided me with some incredible moments. To have the chance to represent England is a huge privilege, and the opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players is very exciting.

"Working closely with Anthony as my assistant coach, we will do everything we can to make England successful and the supporters proud. I want to thank the FA, particularly Mark and John, for their trust, and I am looking forward to starting our journey together."

FA CEO Mark Bullingham added: "We are thrilled to have appointed Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world, alongside Anthony Barry, who is one of the best English coaches to support him. Our recruitment process has been very thorough.

"Before the Euros, we had a contingency plan and outlined precisely the qualities we would be looking for in a coach. Since Gareth's resignation, we have worked through the candidate pool, meeting several coaches and evaluating them against that criteria.

"Thomas was incredibly impressive and stood out due to his vast expertise and drive. Anthony is a top English talent and also possesses international experience with the Republic of Ireland, Belgium, and Portugal.

"Fundamentally, we wanted to hire a coaching team that would give us the best possible chance of winning a major tournament, and we believe they will do just that. Thomas and the team have a singular focus on providing us with the best opportunity to win the World Cup in 2026."

Interim boss Lee Carsley will continue to manage the senior team for their Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland next month before Tuchel takes charge for the 2026 World Cup.

Tuchel's appointment ends the uncertainty surrounding the England position since Southgate's departure, with Carsley unable to confirm whether he was interested in taking the role on a full-time basis.

He seemed to be in pole position after leading England to consecutive victories over the Republic of Ireland and Finland last month, but a damaging defeat to Greece at Wembley harmed his prospects, and Carsley subsequently admitted he was looking forward to 'hopefully' returning to the Under-21s.

The FA has acted swiftly, bringing in Tuchel after previously reaching out to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola to assess his interest in the job.

Tuchel boasts an illustrious CV at club level but has never managed an international side.

The 51-year-old has managed five clubs, including Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, PSG, and Bayern.

The England role will be his first since departing Bayern at the end of last season.

Tuchel famously led Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021, just four months after replacing Frank Lampard in the Stamford Bridge dugout.

He also secured the Club World Cup with the Blues and has claimed league titles at PSG and Bayern.

However, he left the German giants after they finished third in the Bundesliga last season.

Tuchel is now tasked with leading England's men's team to major tournament success for the first time since 1966.

His predecessor Southgate guided England to consecutive Euros finals in 2021 and 2024 but was unable to clinch victory.

The Three Lions were defeated on penalties by Italy three years ago at Wembley and fell short again this summer, losing 2-1 to Spain in Berlin.

England faced criticism for their playing style at times under Southgate, particularly during the most recent Euros, and Tuchel will now aim to make the team more aesthetically pleasing while also discovering a winning formula.

The next World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada is just over 18 months away, as England strives to end nearly six decades of disappointment.

The FA hopes Tuchel can achieve better results than England's two previous foreign managers, Eriksson and Capello, who both failed to lead the nation to glory.

Eriksson guided England's 'Golden Generation' to three successive quarter-finals but no further, while Capello could only take the team to the last 16 of the 2010 World Cup, where they were thrashed 4-1 by Germany.