Deschamps will step down as head coach of France's national soccer team

Didier Deschamps, the oldest coach of the French national team, will not extend his contract, which expires in 2026. This was reported by Reuters on January 7 with reference to the French Football Federation (FFF).

Deschamps' contract runs until the end of the next World Cup, for which the national teams have not yet qualified.

"He will leave before the end of his contract, that is until 2026," FFF president Philippe Diallo said.

Didier Deschamps, 56, succeeded 1998 World Cup winner Laurent Blanc in 2012 and led the Tricolor to the 2018 World Cup title.

Deschamps won trophies with all the clubs he managed before becoming coach of the French national team. In addition, he won the 2021 Nations League title with Les Bleus. As a player, Deschamps won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship, both times he was captain.

Earlier, on December 11, 2024, Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) officially announced that the 2030 FIFA World Cup will be played on three continents. Three matches will be held in South America: in Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina, also games will be held in Portugal, Spain and Morocco. It is specified that this is the first championship to be held on three continents and in six countries.

Before that, on November 14, the national teams of France and Israel played a 0-0 draw in a match of the fifth round of the group stage of the soccer League of Nations. The meeting of the teams of Group 2 of Ligue A took place at the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis near Paris.