“I have served my time. » In an interview broadcast by TF1, Wednesday January 8, the French coach, Didier Deschamps, announced that he will leave his position at the end of his contract in 2026.
“I have been here since 2012, I am scheduled until 2026 for the next World Cup, but it will stop there, because it has to stop. In my head, it's very clear. I served my time with the same desire, the same passion to maintain the French team at the highest level. But 2026 is very good”he explained on the TF1 set. “We never want it to stop when it’s a beautiful thing, you also have to know how to say stop”he added, believing that “the most important thing is that the French team remains at the top, as it has been for many years”.
The 56-year-old technician, appointed to his position in 2012 to succeed Laurent Blanc, will therefore end his long tenure at the end of the 2026 World Cup organized in the United States, Canada and Mexico, for which France does not is not yet qualified.
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 0-1 in overtime against Portugal) and the 2022 World Cup.
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At the end of the final of the last World Cup, lost in Qatar against Argentina on penalties (3-3 after extra time), the Basque's contract was extended by four years, a duration which attracted much criticism at the time. Then the lackluster play displayed by the French during Euro 2024, despite reaching the semi-finals, accentuated the debates and caused a certain disenchantment among the supporters.
Since the European tournament, concerns have only increased for the coach with the setbacks of his captain, Kylian Mbappé, absent from the October and November 2024 gatherings, and the surprise announcement of the international retirement of Antoine Griezmann, formerly considered Deschamps' “darling” but gradually being downgraded.
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Qualification for the quarter-finals of the Nations League after a convincing success in Italy (3-1) in November 2024 chased away the clouds somewhat and Didier Deschamps had the skill to open his group to new young players to launch an attack on its ultimate objectives.
All eyes on Zinédine Zidane
The prospect of the end of the Deschamps era will now open the way to speculation about the identity of his successor. All eyes inevitably converge on Zinédine Zidane, the icon of French football and three-time winner of the Champions League on the Real Madrid bench. “Zizou” has never hidden his desire to one day lead the Blues and has been patiently biding his time since the end of his second adventure with the Merengue, in 2021.
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But before Didier Deschamps bows out, there is no shortage of goals. 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.
Only Italian Vittorio Pozzo has won two World Cups as coach. It was with the Squadra Azzurra in 1934 then 1938. Another era.
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