He will leave his post in 2026. Didier Deschamps, coach of the France team since 2012, will not continue the adventure at the end of his contract, the Sports management of Radio France learned Tuesday evening, confirming information from several media including L ‘Team et The Parisian. The World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada will therefore be its last competition if the Blues manage to qualify.
A historic track record
The departure in 2026 of Didier Deschamps, who succeeded Laurent Blanc after Euro-2012, will sound like the end of an era, the most glorious chapter in the history of the Tricolores: at the head of the Blues, the coach has been crowned world champion in 2018 in Russia and reached the 2022 World Cup finalultimately losing to Argentina. The original Basque also took France at the Euro 2016 finale at home and won the Nations League in 2021 against Spain. The 56-year-old technician has the longest tenure as coach of the France team.
The Minister of Sports Marie Barsacq, questioned by the sports management of Radio France, welcomed “a great, great man of French sport”. “He has an incredible track record, already as a player, but also as a coach,” continued the new Minister of Sports. “All my congratulations to Didier already for all of his work, and we are still counting on him to finish in style”, declared Marie Barsacq.
Last two complicated years
But the last two years have been complicated for the former world (1998) and European (2000) champion captain. Its long extension for four years just after the World Cup final in Qatar lost to Argentina had aroused at the time of many reviews. Then the dull and unspectacular game deployed by the French during Euro-2024 in Germany caused some disenchantment among the supporters, despite reaching the semi-finals.
Since the European tournament, the problems have only increased for the coach with the setbacks of his captain Kylian Mbappéabsent from the October and November gatherings, and the surprise announcement of Antoine Griezmann’s international retirementformerly considered Deschamps’ “darling” but gradually being downgraded.
A third star?
Qualification for the quarter-finals of the Nations League after a success in Italy (3-1) however allowed the Blues to remain in the race for the “Final Four” of the League of Nations. France will face Croatia before then, on March 20 and 23. Next will come the qualifications for the next World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico where the coach will attempt the feat of embroidering a third star on the blue jersey.
All eyes turned towards Zidane
The prospect of the end of the Deschamps era opens 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. “Everyone thinks about it”conceded Sports Minister Marie Barsacq. “We’ll see”, “we have a wealth of good profiles in France, so we will surely have a very good coach”, she added.
Zizou has never hidden his desire to one day manage the Blues and has been patiently biding his time since the end of his second adventure with the Merengue in 2021. He has never been so close to hitting the goal.
