Didier Deschamps

Didier Deschamps announced on 14 May 2026 that the 2026 World Cup will be his final tournament as France head coach, confirming a planned exit from a role he has held since July 2012. He named France's final 26-man squad on the same day, omitting Eduardo Camavinga and Corentin Tolisso while naming Kylian Mbappé as captain despite the forward's semitendinosus injury. The announcement turns the 2026 tournament into both a competitive campaign and a valedictory occasion for one of the most successful coaches in French football history.

Deschamps, born 15 October 1968 in Bayonne, won the 1998 World Cup as France captain — one of only six people to win the World Cup as both player and manager. As a manager, he guided France to the 2018 World Cup title in Russia and to the 2022 final, which France lost on penalties to Argentina after a remarkable comeback that took the match to extra time.

The succession question dominates French football politics. A new manager will inherit a squad with Mbappé at its peak years and several generational talents. The FFF's process for appointing a successor will begin formally as soon as France's 2026 campaign concludes, and several names — Zinedine Zidane foremost among them — will resurface immediately.