Deschamps says he will step down from his position in France in 2026, but no replacement has been announced

Since Zinedine Zidane seems to be the clear frontrunner to succeed him, France coach Didier Deschamps said on Wednesday that he will be leaving the national team following the 2026 World Cup.

The longest-serving coach of France’s national team, Deschamps, will not want to extend his contract, which expires in 2026, the French Soccer Federation (FFF) told Reuters on Tuesday. However, FFF president Philippe Diallo stated that it is too soon to pick a replacement.

The 2026 World Cup is still out of reach for Les Bleus.

“It will end in 2026. It’s very clear in my mind. “2026 is (a) very good (time to stop),” Deschamps told TF1. “I’ve done my time, with the same desire and passion to maintain France at the highest level.”

“You must be able to tell them to halt; there is life beyond this. The most crucial thing is that France maintains its position at the top, as they have for many years.

Two years after leading France to the European Championship final at home, Deschamps succeeded fellow 1998 World Cup champion Laurent Blanc in 2012 and went on to win the World Cup in 2018.

Before taking over as coach of France, Deschamps had won titles with every club he led. He also won the 2021 Nations League with Les Bleus.

In 2022, the former captain of France led his country to another World Cup final, losing to Argentina on penalties following one of the greatest games in the tournament’s history. He is one of just three individuals to have won football’s most coveted award both as a player and as a coach.

After a stellar coaching career at Real Madrid, where he led the team to three consecutive Champions League titles from 2016 to 2018, Zidane, a former teammate of France who headed a double in the team’s 3-0 victory over Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final, has stated time and again that he would like to manage Les Bleus.

“I’ll stay out of the argument about Zidane. “The question of Didier’s succession does not arise today out of respect for him, his staff, and the players,” Diallo told the French sports newspaper L’Equipe on Wednesday. Didier has a two-year contract.