Deschamps announces he will leave France post after 2026 World Cup

On 2 February 2025, Didier Deschamps said in an interview on the French channel TF1 that he would leave his job as head coach of the France national team once the 2026 World Cup was over. His current contract with the French Football Federation (FFF) already ran to that tournament, but the statement made clear he would not seek an extension.

Deschamps had been in charge since 2012. He led Les Bleus to the 2018 World Cup title in Russia, and to the 2022 final in Qatar, where they lost to Argentina on penalties. He also guided the team to the 2021 Nations League title and to the semi-finals of Euro 2024. His tenure made him one of the longest-serving and most successful national coaches in the country's history.

The announcement mattered because it set a clear horizon for the succession. Zinédine Zidane, the former France midfielder who won the 1998 World Cup as a player and three Champions League titles as Real Madrid coach, had long been seen as the natural successor. His name quickly dominated discussion about the team's future, and it is the context for the later build-up to his reported arrival.