Didier Deschamps will announce on Wednesday his intention to leave his position at the head of the France team after the 2026 World Cup played in the United States, Mexico and Canada, in the event of the Blues qualifying.
The end of an era. Didier Deschamps will leave the Blues in 2026. As indicated by Le Parisien and L'Equipe, information confirmed by RMC Sport, the coach of the France team will announce on Wednesday that he will not extend the adventure beyond the next World Cup played in the United States, Mexico and Canada and for which Kylian Mbappé's partners hope to qualify. The technician will explain his decision during an interview recorded and broadcast on the TF1 television news at 1 p.m.
Deschamps in search of a fourth World Cup
Appointed in 2012 after the Euro and the departure of Laurent Blanc, Didier Deschamps is the coach with the longest tenure at the head of the Blues. The one who will lead the French team during a fourth consecutive World Cup, in the event of qualification for the American tournament, will have spent nearly fourteen years at the head of the selection at the end of his contract in 2026.
During his mandate, France already reached the final of Euro 2016 at home before winning the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Four years later in Qatar, and in the wake of a failed Euro in 2021, Kylian Mbappé's partners again reached the final of the competition, but lost to Lionel Messi's Argentina (3 -3, 2 tab to 4).
Deschamps targeted by critics in 2024
Unhappy semi-finalist of Euro 2024 after a stunning duel against Spain (1-2), Didier Deschamps will therefore not win the continental tournament on the bench of the France team. Above all, the performances of the Blues during the matches played in Germany led to a flood of criticism which weakened the position of the coach and crystallized the tensions around his person.
The recent surprise retirement of Antoine Griezmann and the management of the Mbappé case have further strengthened the criticism against Didier Deschamps in recent months. But the technician continued to benefit from the trust of the president of the FFF, Philippe Diallo.
Didier Deschamps' announcement in January comes as a bit of a surprise. Not so much on the decision itself, but rather on the timing of this speech more than three months before the Blues' next match, on March 20, during the quarter-finals of the Nations League.
Jean-Guy Lebreton Journalist RMC Sport
