Deschamps era ends with World Cup semi-final exit

Didier Deschamps’ 14-year tenure as France manager concluded with a 2-0 semi-final defeat to Spain at the 2026 World Cup. The loss sends France into the third-place play-off, marking the end of an era for the manager who won the tournament as both player and coach. Deschamps set a record for most World Cup games managed (26) and expressed pride in his achievements despite the result.

The match, played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on 14 July 2026, saw Spain secure their place in the final with goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro. Oyarzabal opened the scoring in the 20th minute following a penalty for a foul on Lamine Yamal, while Porro doubled the lead in the 58th minute. The result marks the third consecutive victory for Spain’s manager Luis de la Fuente against France, having previously won in the 2024 European Championship and the 2025 UEFA Nations League semifinals.

France’s performance in the semi-final was statistically poor, registering only 10 shots and an expected goals (xG) value of 0.3, their lowest totals of the tournament. Former France midfielder Patrick Vieira described the team’s performance as “really bad” and noted that top players “went missing”. The defeat ends the hopes of Deschamps, who won the World Cup as a player in 1998 and as manager in 2018, of winning a third title.

Deschamps, who confirmed in January 2025 that he would step down after this tournament, expressed pride in his legacy. He has led the national team since 2012, transforming a squad that had been eliminated in the group stages of Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup into a unified, top-tier side. Former full-back Gaël Clichy praised Deschamps’ legacy of bringing the team back to the top after a period of underperformance.

France will now play in the third-place play-off against the loser of the England v Argentina match in Miami on Saturday. ESPN reported in March that a verbal agreement was in place for Zinedine Zidane to replace Deschamps as manager. The World Cup final is scheduled to take place in New Jersey on Sunday.