Blue suits him so well, and for so long, that it is sometimes difficult to imagine Didier Deschamps leaving the France team. And yet, the French coach will end his functions at the end of his contract in 2026, Agence France-Presse (AFP) has learned., Tuesday January 7, from a source close to the Blues, confirming information from Parisian and of The Team.
The 56-year-old technician, appointed to his position in 2012, will end his long tenure at the end of the 2026 World Cup organized in the United States, Canada and Mexico for which France is not yet qualified.
Didier Deschamps should formalize his decision during a cross-interview with Brigitte Macron broadcast in the 1 p.m. news on TF1, Wednesday, as part of the “Pieces Jaunes” operation.
An extraordinary track record
The departure of the coach will close the most glorious chapter in the history of the Blues. Deschamps has built an extraordinary track record at the head of the France team by winning the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the Nations League in 2021, while reaching the Euro finals in 2016 in France (defeat 1-0 in overtime against Portugal) and the 2022 World Cup.
At the end of the final of the last World Cup lost in Qatar against Argentina on penalties (3-3 at the end of extra time), the Basque's contract was extended by four years, a duration which had attracted much criticism at the time. The lackluster play displayed by the French during Euro 2024, despite reaching the semi-finals, had accentuated the debates around the management of the technician.
Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers “The French team may have reached the end of the “DD system””
Read later
Before bowing out, however, there is no shortage of objectives. The Tricolores must play the quarter-finals of the Nations League against Croatia in March. If successful, they will play the “Final Four” of this competition in June before continuing with the qualifications for the next World Cup, the final challenge for the former captain of the Blues, world champion in 1998.
France
