In an interview with TF1, Didier Deschamps explained why he made the decision to step down at the end of his mandate, in 2026.
The announcement had the effect of a small bombshell on Tuesday evening:
Didier Deschamps will leave the France team at the end of his current lease, in 2026. The Blues coach is therefore preparing for his last major international competition with the World Cup in America (USA, Canada, Mexico).
An unexpected choice for a technician who has always proclaimed his pleasure at being in charge of the national selection. But Deschamps himself admitted that the climate of the Blues was “not calm”, during a delicate year 2024 at all levels.
Deschamps explains his departure from the Blues
Didier Deschamps’ speech was therefore expected. It took place on the 1 p.m. Television News this Wednesday on TF1. The Blues coach justified his upcoming departure by a longevity which was bound to come to an end, after more than a decade in power.
“I am not here to make an announcement but it will be 2026, said Deschamps. I’ve been here since 2012, I’m scheduled until 2026, the next World Cup. It will stop there because it has to stop there at some point. 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. »
« We never want it to end when it’s a beautiful thing. Afterwards, you have to know how to say stop. There is life after“, concluded the coach, without dwelling on the recent controversies which marred the environment of the France team.
