On January 8th, according to the latest news from L'Équipe, a French authoritative media outlet, 56-year-old Didier Deschamps will officially announce today that he will no longer serve as the head coach of the French national team after the 2026 World Cup, ending his 13-year tenure with the French team.
In the 2024 European Championship, France performed poorly, losing to Spain in the semi-finals and failing to reach the final. At that time, many French fans questioned Deschamps. However, the French Football Federation stood firm in their support for Deschamps and allowed him to continue coaching until the end of the 2026 World Cup.
Deschamps' contract with the French Football Federation is set to expire in 2026. L'Équipe reported that Deschamps has made his decision and will leave after leading the team through the 2026 World Cup, without renewing his contract with the federation. He had already decided months ago and will formally announce this message today.
In 2012, Deschamps was appointed as the head coach of the French national team. Since then, he has led the team to win the 2018 World Cup and the 2021 UEFA Nations League titles. Additionally, Deschamps guided the team to the finals of the 2016 European Championship and the 2022 World Cup.
Years of coaching have taken a toll on Deschamps, both physically and mentally, and he longs for more time to spend with his family. Regardless of how France performs in next year's World Cup, Deschamps will step down. As a player, Deschamps was a hero for the French team, helping them win the 1998 World Cup.
Recently, Deschamps has had some conflicts with the captain of the French team, Kylian Mbappé. He removed Mbappé from the latest squad list and publicly stated that it was his decision. Mbappé later pointed out that he wanted to play for the national team, but Deschamps did not allow it.
After Deschamps' departure, 52-year-old Zinedine Zidane is expected to be the top candidate for the new head coach position. In June 2021, Zidane left Real Madrid. Nearly four years have passed, and the French legend has remained idle. It is rumored that he has been waiting for the opportunity to become the head coach of the French national team. Besides the French national team and Real Madrid, Zidane has no intention of coaching any other team.