World champion coach Didier Deschamps is ending his involvement with the French national team after the 2026 World Cup.
The 56-year-old announced this in an interview with the “LCI” broadcaster. His role in the national team will then stop because it has to stop at some point, said Deschamps, with a view to his contract expiring in 2026.
“I’ve done my time,” added Deschamps, who has been France’s national coach since 2012. He feels like quitting while it’s nice. He doesn’t yet know what will happen next. Under his leadership, France won the World Cup in 2018 and was runner-up in 2022. He also reached the final with the Équipe Tricolore at the home European Championships in 2016.
Association boss Philippe Diallo praised the long-time coach as the “greatest coach of the French national team”. In the sports magazine “L’Équipe” the FFF boss said: “I think that Didier Deschamps’ career is extraordinary, marked by the most prestigious titles.”
Diallo answered in the negative whether the announcement would lead to a loss of authority for Deschamps. “On the contrary, it will liberate everyone.” This will make the situation clearer.