Didier Deschamps ‘set to LEAVE France manager’s job after 2026 World Cup’ as ‘heavy favourite’ to replace him is named
Didier Deschamps is reportedly poised to leave the France manager’s job after the 2026 World Cup, closing a great era in the nation’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 Euros.
He is set to announce the news on Wednesday afternoon.
The 56-year-old will leave ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico if they fail to qualify, and after it if they do make it.
Zinedine Zidane is the heavy favourite to replace him, according to ESPN. He was Deschamps’ team-mates in their 1998 World Cup triumph and led Real Madrid to three consecutive Champions League titles as a manager between 2016 and 2018. Zidane has been out of work since his second Madrid dugout stint ended in 2021.
Despite being arguably their most successful manager ever, Deschamps has not been universally loved by Les Bleus fans due to his conservative style of play.
Didier Deschamps is reportedly set to announce that he will leave the France job in 2026
He led France to the 2018 World Cup trophy and has also reahced two other major finals
Despite his success, he has not always been universally loved by fans who believe he could have made more of France’s attacking talents
Nevertheless, his tournament success and 64.2 per cent win rate place him in the pantheon of great international managers.
They have reached the semi-finals of four of the six major tournaments that he has overseen and might have won the 2022 World Cup were it not for the brilliance of Lionel Messi.
He is only the third man to win the World Cup as a player and a manager after Mario Zagallo, Pele’s old team-mate and manager for Brazil, and Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer.
L’Equipe reports that Deschamps made up his mind several months ago, with his contract expiring in 2026.
For a man of such a gilded trophy cabinet, Deschamps cuts a relatively understated figure and is seldom talked about in the same breath as other top coaches.
He managed Monaco, Juventus, and Marseille before taking up the France 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 players such as Patrice Evra and Emmanuel Adebayor to make their names.
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 flight in his ojnly 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 before if France fail to qualify for the tournament
Hugo Lloris, who captained France under him, described him as an ‘inspiration to the players’
He then took up the reins at Marseille, another of his former clubs where he had won the Champions League as a player, and delivered them the Ligue 1 championship in 2009-10, the only time they have won it since 1995.
France have occasionally been associated with high-profile tournament self-combustion, crashing out of the group stages in the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, but he has at least made the knockout stages in every competition.
Hugo Lloris served as captain of the France national team under Deschamps and said of his boss: ‘He has of course tremendous experience as a player and a coach at international level.
‘He is calm and collected and transmits that to the players.
‘He is an inspiration to the players. We have a great relationship between players and coach and it is not a coincidence he has been a coach for such a long time.’
