Football: Deschamps says “Au Revoir” after the World Cup – Is Zidane coming?

At the side of President’s wife Brigitte Macron, Didier Deschamps announced his “Au Revoir” as French national coach in the TV studio. “You also have to know when it’s over. There is life afterward. 2026 is a good time,” said the 56-year-old in an interview with broadcaster LCI. At the 2026 World Cup, he wants to make another attempt at the title that he won with the Équipe Tricolore in 1998 as captain and in 2018 as coach. His former teammate Zinédine Zidane may be available as his successor.

“I’ve done my time,” added Deschamps, who has been France’s national coach since 2012. He feels like quitting while it’s nice. He doesn’t yet know what will happen next, said Deschamps with a smile. Under his leadership, France won the World Cup in 2018 and was runner-up in 2022. He also reached the final with the Équipe Tricolore at the home European Championships in 2016. Deschamps’ departure will be the end of an era for Les Bleus.

Deschamps was on the sidelines for 165 international matches and won 105 times. If he were to reach the World Cup final again in the USA, he would be in office for 5,124 days, more than 2,000 days more than any other French national coach before him.

“Greatest coach of the national team”

Association boss Philippe Diallo praised the long-time coach as “the greatest coach of the French national team”. In the sports magazine “L’Équipe” the FFF boss said: “I think that Didier Deschamps’ career is extraordinary, marked by the most prestigious titles.”

Diallo answered in the negative whether the announcement would lead to a loss of authority for Deschamps. “On the contrary, this will free everyone,” said Diallo, adding that Deschamps had been subjected to very unfair criticism for years. However, the underwhelming performances at the European Championships in the summer with the elimination in the semi-finals against Spain did not improve his standing in France.

Deschamps once succeeded Laurent Blanc. His greatest success with the Équipe Tricolore was winning the 2018 World Cup title in Russia. Deschamps had already been successful as a player before. In 1998 he became world champion in his own country and two years later European champion. He also won the Champions League twice – once with Olympique Marseille (1993) and once with the Italian record champions Juventus Turin (1996).

Rumors about Zidane as his successor

French football legend Zinédine Zidane is now being considered as the future coach. The newspaper “Le Parisien” called him the “definite successor”, “L’Équipe” saw him as the “natural successor” to Deschamps. Association boss Diallo initially did not want to comment. “I will not enter into this debate. Didier has two years of contract ahead of him and out of respect for him, his team and the players, the question of succession does not arise today,” L’Équipe magazine quoted him as saying.

Nevertheless, Diallo emphasized that Zidane had achieved very good results with Real Madrid and won the Champions League several times. “He also demonstrated the extent of his talent there.” The 52-year-old Zidane has long been considered a possible national coach. The 1998 world champion and three-time world footballer announced that he would return to the coaching bench after his departure in Madrid in 2021. Now the opportunity may present itself.