Didier Deschamps ends 14-year France reign after World Cup 2026

France manager Didier Deschamps will step down after the 2026 World Cup, ending a 14-year tenure in his final home match.

World Cup farewell for Deschamps France’s World Cup 2026 campaign will conclude Didier Deschamps’ 14-year journey as national team manager. The finals mark the end of an era, as Deschamps prepares to leave his role after guiding the team for over a decade. He previously won the World Cup as both captain in 1998 and manager in 2018, becoming just the third person to achieve this rare feat. His final home game with France will be a friendly against Northern Ireland in Lille on Monday. ## Tributes and emotional send-off Fans have already shown their appreciation for Deschamps, displaying cardboard cutouts of him during France’s 2-1 loss to Ivory Coast in Nantes. Midfielder Adrien Rabiot expressed sympathy for the manager’s impending departure, saying, "I can imagine the state of mind of Didier after all this time spent with the French team. We’re all human beings, we have compassion, we have emotions and everything that comes along with it. The coach has done a great job with the French team and I hope that he will be celebrated, because he deserves it." The Lille match is expected to be an emotional occasion. ## Deschamps focuses on the team's future Despite the upcoming farewell, Deschamps is prioritizing the team’s performance over his personal send-off. He stated, "Ever since I came in to camp, there’s lots of things that I’ve done for the last time, so I’m not trying to think about all these things. I’m not too sad, I’m not going to be happy about it. What’s important for me is beyond my personal case." He also thanked supporters for their gestures and acknowledged the energy they bring ahead of the finals. ## Preparation for the World Cup finals France will face Senegal, Iraq, and Norway in Group I during the 2026 World Cup in the USA. Deschamps emphasized wanting "the positive things" from fans before the tournament begins. He added, "The tribute was nice, and even though it was during the match and the players were playing, I was trying to be focused on what’s happening on the field. These two matches in France before we leave for the US, being close to the supporters and lots of the people who are not able to go to the US, we’re trying to get as much energy, trying to get as much good vibes from the supporters as we can." ## Deschamps' leadership praised by Rabiot Rabiot highlighted Deschamps’ ability to unite the squad over his long tenure, saying, "He includes everyone. It’s really important and it’s crucial to be able to build like that. Training is really professional, but they can also be a little fun. It’s important to have a mix, especially entering a competition like the World Cup. It can be tough. It’s a long competition and his strength is probably the management of his players. We’ve been together for a while so we know what he expects from us, and it’s such a long-lasting competition that the players’ management is important." ## Confidence remains despite shock defeat France’s unexpected loss to Ivory Coast did not shake Deschamps’ belief in the squad’s readiness. Players like William Saliba, Ousmane Dembélé, and Désiré Doué, who missed the defeat, are available for the friendly against Northern Ireland. Rabiot described the match as "the last rehearsal" before facing Senegal on June 16 in New Jersey, saying, "We don’t use this match as a friendly. We want to do well and we want to take pleasure in playing. We want to enjoy the moment. It’s really hard to start playing 50% and it’s complicated. You have to play fully and having in the back of our heads that this is the last rehearsal and it would be good to finish on a good note."