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Spain qualified for the 2026 World Cup final after beating France, 2-0, in the semifinals on Tuesday, ending France’s bid for another title and setting up the final match of coach Didier Deschamps’ tenure.
Before the start of the World Cup, Deschamps announced his intention to step down as France coach. France will now move on to Saturday’s third-place match against either England or Argentina, which will be Deschamps’ final match in charge of the French team.
Deschamps took over the French team in 2012, leading the country through its most consistent era of modern success.
Under his leadership, France won the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2021 UEFA Nations League, while also reaching the final of Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup. During Deschamps’ career, he has 20 World Cup victories and 10 in the knockout stage, the most of any coach in the history of the tournament.
His departure after the upcoming third-place match will end a 14-year reign as head coach.
Zinedine Zidane won 108 caps for France and won the 1998 World Cup, scoring a brace in the final. (Photo by Pablo Rodriguez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
According to ESPN, Zinedine Zidane will succeed Deschamps as head coach of the France team this summer. A verbal agreement has already been reached between the former Real Madrid coach and the French Football Federation (FFF).
The final details of the contract still need to be finalized.
The succession follows comments from FFF president Philippe Diallo, who told French newspaper Le Figaro that he already knew who Deschamps’ successor would be, although he refused to publicly name Zidane at the time.
Zidane previously coached Real Madrid Castilla from 2014 to 2016 before coaching the first team from 2016 to 2018 and again from 2019 to 2021.
