Didier Deschamps will leave his position as coach of the French football team at the end of his current contract until the next 2026 World Cup.
Didier Deschamps and the French football team, it’s almost over! According to Le Figaro, the Blues coach should officially announce on Wednesday January 8 his decision to leave his post in 2026. The announcement should take place on TF1 during the presentation of the 2025 edition of the Yellow Pieces operation. His departure in 2026 will logically be in the summer after the next 2026 World Cup, a competition for which the France team has not yet qualified. She will only begin the qualifiers for the next World Cup next September. If this deadline was rather expected by all observers, 14 years after the arrival of the former midfielder at the head of the Blues after Euro 2012 and the departure of Laurent Blanc, the timing of this announcement may surprise since it comes 18 months before the next major football competition!
The coach will therefore not leave for a new lease at the head of the Blues. Deschamps and the Blues are, in addition to a formidable career as a player and captain punctuated by victory in the 1998 World Cup then the conquest of Euro 2000 as a finale, a quarter-final of the 2014 World Cup (lost to to Germany, 0-1), a Euro 2016 final (lost to Portugal, 0-1 after extra time) and two new World Cup finals, victorious in 2018 against Croatia (4-2) then synonymous with a memorable and painful defeat on penalties against Argentina at the end of 2022.
Controversies, executive retirements, internal criticism… Very difficult last months at the head of the Blues
This second World Cup epic confirmed the FFF in the choice to renew its contract and for a time removed the shadow of Zinédine Zidane, the natural contender for the position. But weakened in recent months, criticized half-heartedly even within the group, Didier Deschamps has had a complicated year 2024 at the head of the Blues. If his group once again reached the last four of a major competition, the Euro ended in the semi-final with a defeat against Spain, the game played but especially the group life of the Blues animated numerous debates . Tactical system, retirements of leaders, choice of the new captain, role and place of Kylian Mbappé… There was no shortage of discussions.
A first clap of thunder came at the start of the school year with the announcement of the international retirement of Antoine Griezmann, the former “darling” of Deschamps as he himself admitted. “Grizou”, downgraded over the matches and even relegated to the bench during the Euro, called it quits a few months after being overtaken by Kylian Mbappé to take over the captain’s armband abandoned by the newly retired Hugo Lloris. Coincidence, simple wear or real message to the coach? The doubts have not been resolved, far from it.
The Kylian Mbappé soap opera then animated the fall. Little in his legs in September then withdrew due to injury for the October rally (during which he will be seen on the weekend in Stockholm), the captain of the Blues was then not recalled for the last deadline of the Blues in 2024, in League of Nations against Italy and Israel. Sanction, differences or conflict? The attacker revealed his truths in December in an interview with Clique on Canal+, a media release undoubtedly followed closely by Deschamps. “It’s the coach’s decision, I stand behind what he said. We both discussed it. He doesn’t want it to be known and I totally respect it. He’s the boss. If one day , he wants to talk about it… In any case, I wanted to go but I can’t say why.”
In mid-September, the newspaper L’Equipe also revealed tensions in the Blues locker room during the defeat in the Nations League in Italy in September, during Mbappé’s penultimate appearance in Blue. Targeted without being named by goalkeeper Mike Maignan visibly upset against certain attitudes, Kylian Mbappé would then have expressed to the group his doubts about the poor tactical work carried out in training for the Blues. A new stone in the garden of the staff and Didier Deschamps… So many reasons to call the end of the adventure in 2026? Didier Deschamps will inevitably face a number of questions in the weeks to come. The Blues’ next match is scheduled in just over two months, on March 20 and 23, 2025 in the quarter-final of the Nations League against Croatia.
22:19 – His last contract extension was on January 7, 2023
This announcement of the upcoming departure of Didier Deschamps comes exactly two years after the formalization of his contract extension. On January 7, 2023, in the wake of a World Cup ending with the famous defeat in the final against Argentina, the FFF and Didier Deschamps announced the new lease binding the two parties until the 2026 World Cup. This will therefore be the final signing of Deschamps who will leave the Blues in 2026, 14 years after his arrival in the summer of 2012.
22:15 – An announcement before the first matches of the year for the Blues
Didier Deschamps and the president of the FFF Philippe Diallo agreed on the timing of this announcement according to Le Figaro. “It was agreed that the announcement would take place before the next matches of the France team, on March 20 and 23, against Croatia, in the semi-finals of the League of Nations. It will therefore be done,” writes the daily this Tuesday evening, on the eve of the official announcement scheduled for Wednesday as part of the 1 p.m. news on TF1.
22:08 – The president of the FFF was already aware
According to information from Le Figaro, Didier Deschamps has already informed the staff of the French team of his decision. Same thing for the president of the French football federation Philippe Diallo, “warned before the end of year celebrations”.
22:06 – An official announcement at 1 p.m. on TF1 on Wednesday
Several media announced this Tuesday evening the upcoming departure of Didier Deschamps from his position as coach of the Blues. According to Le Figaro and Le Parisien, the official announcement will take place this Wednesday, January 8 on the 1 p.m. set of TF1. Didier Deschamps was to participate in the presentation of the 2025 edition of the Yellow Pieces but will be interviewed on set for this announcement.
22:00 – Deschamps will announce his next departure from the Blues
Several media announced this Tuesday evening that Didier Deschamps will formalize his departure from the position of coach of the Blues at the end of his contract, i.e. in 2026. According to Le Figaro, the former midfielder will announce his decision on TF1 on Wednesday. start of a year 2025 where the Blues will play at least the quarter-finals of the Nations League in March then the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup from the start of the school year 2025.