Didier Deschamps

Deschamps announced on 14 May 2026 that this World Cup would be his final tournament as France head coach, ending a spell in charge stretching back to July 2012. He named Kylian Mbappé as captain in the final 26-man squad despite the forward's injury concerns, omitting Eduardo Camavinga and Corentin Tolisso.

On 23 June 2026 Deschamps Left the France camp after the death of his mother, missing France's final group match against Norway on 26 June with assistant Guy Stéphan taking charge. He returned to lead the side through the knockout rounds.

France beat Morocco 2-0 in the quarter-final on 9 July, with Mbappé scoring after the hour having missed a first-half penalty and Ousmane Dembélé adding a second. The win took Deschamps' side into a semi-final against Spain on 14 July at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, a step away from a possible farewell final.

Didier Deschamps has been France's head coach since July 2012, one of the longest tenures of any manager of a top footballing nation. As a player he captained France to the 1998 World Cup title on home soil and added the Euro 2000 title two years later.

As manager he led France to the 2018 World Cup title in Russia and reached the 2022 final, lost on penalties to Argentina after extra time. The combination makes him one of only a handful of people to have won the World Cup as both player and manager, and the only Frenchman to have captained and later managed a World Cup-winning side.