Deschamps to leave France job after the 2026 World Cup
Didier Deschamps announced in February 2025 that he would step down as France coach after the 2026 World Cup, ending a tenure begun in 2012.
This summary was written by AI to complete the context; it is not based on a current source.
On 17 February 2025, Didier Deschamps announced that he would leave his post as France national team coach after the 2026 World Cup in North America. His current contract, extended in late 2022, already ran until the end of that tournament, so the decision set a clear end date for his time in charge.
Deschamps had led Les Bleus since 2012. Under him France reached the Euro 2016 final, won the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and lost the 2022 World Cup final to Argentina on penalties. The team also won the 2021 Nations League and reached the semi-finals of Euro 2024.
The announcement mattered because it opened the succession race for one of the most prominent jobs in world football. The French Football Federation (FFF) now had time to plan a handover, and Zinedine Zidane, the former player and World Cup winner, was widely mentioned as a possible successor. Deschamps's decision turned attention from whether he would stay to who would follow him and how the transition would be managed.
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Zidane's France squad selections · 2 updates
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