World Cup winning coach Didier Deschamps set to LEAVE French National Team after glistening spell of 14 years

Didier Deschamps decides to call it a day from the prestigious job of being the France manager after historic spell for his nation.

Didier Deschamps (image courtesy: X)

Didier Deschamps has confirmed that he will leave his job as the France coach once his contract ends after the 2026 World Cup. The man who ushered France to an enviable legacy decided to call it a day after being at the helm of the national team for a staggering 14 years, maintaining a high level of football.

Didier Deschamps took charge of the France national team in 2012. He eventually bossed the team in their World Cup winning campaign in 2018. While winning the FIFA World Cup in 2018, he became the third man to win the tournament as a player and a manager.

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]. One has to be able to say stop, there’s a life after this. The most important [thing] is for France to stay at the top as they have been for many years.
Didier Deschamps told French TV channel TF1

Deschamps took over the reins of the French national team from his fellow teammate, Laurent Blanc. He ushered France to three major finals, including the 2018 and the 2022 World Cup finals and the 2016 Euro final. He also won the 2021 Nations League title.

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??? Didier Deschamps, set to announce his decision to LEAVE French national team job after the World Cup 2026.

It’s all decided, reports L’Équipé. ?? pic.twitter.com/SeXFbBxyfv
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 7, 2025

However, the French national team lost the 2022 final to Lionel Messi and Argentina. Meanwhile, they lost in the 2016 Euros to Portugal, who were without star player Cristiano Ronaldo in the final. Now, the team will have to look for a new coach to lead them.

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Zinedine Zidane tipped to succeed Didier Deschamps

Amidst all the speculations, French icon Zinedine Zidane is being touted as the favorite to take over the job from Deschamps. As reported by the Guardian, Zidane has formerly expressed his desire to be the boss of the Les Bleus ever since he has stepped down from the Real Madrid coaching job.

The French football federation’s president, Phillippe Diallo said that it was too early to discuss a successor to Deschamps. He made it very clear that Didier Deschamps still has two years ahead of him and out of respect, the topic of succession will not rise for now.

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Zidane has won multiple UCL with Real Madrid and could become a valuable part of the French national team setup. However, the story of Deschamps is not over yet. Currently, France continues to thrive in the Nations League as they romped over Italy convincingly in their latest group stage fixture while being on an unbeaten run for the last five games.