Longest-serving Didier Deschamps to leave France job after 2026 World Cup

PARIS – Didier Deschamps, France’s longest-serving national team coach, will not seek to renew his contract which expires in 2026, the French football federation (FFF) confirmed on Jan 7.

His deal runs until after the next World Cup, for which qualifying starts in March.

Deschamps took over from fellow 1998 World Cup winner Laurent Blanc in 2012 and led France to the World Cup title in 2018, two years after reaching the European Championship final on home soil.

The former France captain – only the third man after Brazil’s Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer of Germany to win football’s most prestigious prize as a player and a coach – guided the national team to the World Cup final again in 2022, losing to Lionel Messi’s Argentina on penalties after one of the best matches in the tournament’s history.

FFF president Philippe Diallo told Reuters that the 56-year-old would not look to extend his stay after the 2026 World Cup in North America, adding: “He will go until the end of his contract, which means 2026.”

Following that announcement, Deschamps himself confirmed the news on Jan 8.

“In 2026, it will be over. In my head, it’s very clear. I’ve done my time, with the same desire and passion to maintain France at the highest level but 2026 is (a) very good (time to stop),” he told French broadcaster TF1.

“One has to be able to say stop, there’s a life after this. The most important is for France to stay at the top as they have been for many years.”

It is uncertain who will succeed him but former France midfielder and ex-Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, who is currently unemployed, is the heavy favourite for the job.

“It’s a wise decision. I didn’t send anything and I won’t send anything (to Zidane). But of course we all hope it will be him after 2026,” Christophe Dugarry, a former teammate of both Zidane and Deschamps and one of the latter’s most vocal critics, told RMC Radio.

“But it’s his choice and it will be linked to discussions with him. But it’s a wish that I have, a personal wish that I’ve had for a long time. I hope it will happen one day. I hope it will be in 2026, from the bottom of my heart.”

Deschamps, who had won trophies with every club he managed before becoming France coach, also claimed the 2021 Nations League title with Les Bleus. He is already France’s longest-serving coach after 165 games in charge.

As a player, he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, both as captain. At club level, he was the youngest skipper to lift the Champions League trophy when he won the title with Marseille in 1993 and he also lifted the trophy with Juventus in 1996.

His legacy as a player and captain was there for everyone to see. It was no coincidence that France’s golden generation imploded after he retired following their Euro 2000 triumph. A defensive midfielder nicknamed the “water carrier” by former France and Manchester United striker Eric Cantona, Deschamps was essentially a winning machine.

A natural-born leader, his coaching career started at AS Monaco whom he led to the Champions League final in 2004 before helping Juve gain promotion back to the Italian Serie A in 2007.

He then took Marseille to the French title, their first in 18 years, in 2010 before starting the France job in 2012.

Under his guidance as coach, France were at times boringly efficient and at others brilliant, beating Argentina 4-3 in the 2018 World Cup round of 16 and Croatia 4-2 in the final.

While Deschamps’ side have boasted the thrilling attacking talent of Kylian Mbappe, his teams have also shown grit and unmatched defensive ability when it mattered most.

Up front, he gave Mbappe more freedom than other players, hoping his captain’s genius, tricky pace and shooting prowess would help him reach his goals.

It almost delivered his second World Cup title as coach in 2022 – the forward scored a hat-trick in the Doha final which ended 3-3 in regulation time – and in 2026 it will be the duo’s last dance, and a chance to cement Deschamps’ legacy. REUTERS