Deschamps to Step Down After 2026 World Cup

AFP/APP

Paris: France head coach Didier Deschamps will step down from his role after his current contract concludes following the 2026 World Cup, a source close to the team confirmed on Tuesday.

Deschamps, who led Les Bleus to the 2018 World Cup title, making history as one of only three individuals to win the prestigious tournament as both a player and a manager, has had a distinguished tenure with the French national team.

He took over as head coach in 2012, following Laurent Blanc’s departure, and guided France to three major finals. Notably, his team lost to Portugal in the Euro 2016 final and to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final.

As a player, Deschamps captained the French team to victory in the 1998 World Cup on home soil. The 56-year-old has already broken the record for the longest-serving official coach of the French national team.

European qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is set to begin later this year.