Didier Deschamps ‘set to LEAVE France manager’s job after 2026 World Cup’ as ‘heavy favourite’ to replace him is named
- Deschamps will reportedly announce the news on Wednesday afternoon
- He led France to the 2018 World Cup trophy and to two other major finals
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Didier Deschamps is reportedly set to give up the French manager’s job after the 2026 World Cup, bringing to a close a great era in the country’s football history.
Deschamps took on the role in 2012 after Laurent Blanc resigned and led them to victory at the 2018 World Cup, also reaching the final in 2022 and at the 2016 European Championship.
He will announce the news on Wednesday afternoon.
The 56-year-old will leave before the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico if they fail to qualify, and afterwards if they do.
According to him, Zinedine Zidane is the big favorite to replace him ESPN. He was Deschamps’ teammates during their 1998 World Cup victory and led Real Madrid to three consecutive Champions League titles as manager between 2016 and 2018. Zidane has been out of work since his second dugout stint in Madrid ended in 2021.
Despite being arguably their most successful manager ever, Deschamps is not universally loved by Les Bleus fans for his conservative playing style.
Didier Deschamps will reportedly announce he will leave the job in France in 2026
He led France to the 2018 World Cup trophy and also reached two other major finals
Despite his success, he has not always been universally loved by fans who believe he could have gotten more out of France’s attacking talents.
Nevertheless, his tournament success and 64.2 percent winning percentage place him in the pantheon of great international managers.
They have reached the semi-finals of four of the six major tournaments he has overseen and might have won the 2022 World Cup if not for Lionel Messi.
He is only the third man to win the World Cup as a player and as a manager, after Mario Zagallo, Pele’s old teammate and manager for Brazil, and German Franz Beckenbauer.
L’Equipe reports that Deschamps made a decision a few months ago, with his contract expiring in 2026.
For a man with such a gilded trophy cabinet, Deschamps is a relatively understated figure and is rarely mentioned in the same breath as other top coaches.
He managed Monaco, Juventus and Marseille before taking up the French post and had success with all three.
One of his greatest achievements was leading Monaco to the 2003-04 Champions League final with a counter-attacking style, helping the likes of Patrice Evra and Emmanuel Adebayor make a name for themselves.
In 2006, he took charge of former side Juventus, who had been relegated to Serie B after the Calciopoli scandal, and led them back to the top in his only season in charge.
Zinedine Zidane has been named as the ‘heavy favourite’ to replace the 56-year-old boss
He will leave after the 2026 World Cup, or sooner if France fails to qualify for the tournament
Hugo Lloris, who captained France under him, described him as an ‘inspiration for the players’
He then took charge of Marseille, one of his former clubs where he had won the Champions League as a player, and led them to the Ligue 1 championship in 2009/2010, the only time they have won it since 1995.
France has occasionally been linked to high-profile tournament spontaneous combustion, falling out of the group stages at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, but has at least reached the knockout stages in every competition.
Hugo Lloris captained the French national team under Deschamps and said of his boss: ‘He obviously has enormous experience as a player and coach at international level.
‘He is calm and collected and conveys that to the players.
‘He is an inspiration to the players. We have a great player-coach relationship and it is no coincidence that he has been a coach for so long.”