Didier Deschamps has confirmed he will step down as head coach of the French national team after the 2026 World Cup, which will be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The 56-year-old is contracted until the end of the tournament and confirmed on Wednesday he will not go further than that after winning as both captain and boss. Deschamps led Les Bleus to success in Russia in 2018 after winning it on home soil in 1998, but as manager has failed to repeat his UEFA Euro 2000 triumph.
“I’m not here to make an announcement, but it will be 2026,” Deschamps confirmed to TF1. “I have been here since 2012 and have a contract until 2026, the next World Cup. It will stop there, because it has to stop there at some point. It is very clear in my mind. I have done my time with the same desire.” and the same passion to keep the French team at the highest level.
“2026 is really good though – you never want it to end if it’s something great. That said, you have to know when to stop. There is life after that. I don’t know what it will be, but it will happen.” It will be very good too. It will take fourteen years, which is a lot. “I’m not here for the records, but the most important thing is that the French team stays at the top where it has been for years.”
Recently re-elected French Football Federation (FFF) president Philippe Diallo paid tribute to Deschamps whose contract had already been extended by predecessor Noel Le Graet before he arrived as the first interim supremo. The 1998 and 2018 champions will lead the French team – still considered one of the early favorites to go all the way – in UEFA zone qualifying starting after the UEFA Nations League final.
“He is still as motivated and ready to raise the flag for the French team,” Diallo told L’Equipe. “But he may have felt that by 2026 he will have been in charge of Les Bleus for more than ten years, which is quite exceptional and that it was time to move on. I think Didier Deschamps’ career is exceptional and is marked by the most prestigious titles. He is the best head coach of the French team to date.”
Although Deschamps will remain in charge for the next 18 months, his successor will likely already be familiar with Zinedine Zidane, the heir apparent who will take over from his former World Cup-winning teammate. The ex-Real Madrid star has been linked with several positions since his second spell at Los Blancos came to an end and this clarity likely means he will wait to take the job as Les Bleus’ next boss rather than get short shrift to make. lived return to club football.