July 8, 2012. Didier Deschamps was appointed as the head coach of France national football team that day. The World Cup-winning captain was coached by the France Football Federation (FFF) on a two-year deal.
Two years have passed since then. Desham is still the coach of France. If everything goes well, Deschamps, who won the World Cup for France in 2018 as a coach, will also coach Mbappe in the 2026 World Cup. Today, 54-year-old Desham himself gave the good news.
According to the previous agreement, Deschamps was supposed to be in charge of France until 2024. Although the country reached the final of the World Cup for the second time in a row, this time Desham had to be the runner-up in Qatar. After the tiebreaker loss to Lionel Messi’s Argentina, there was a question about whether the FFF would extend Didier Deschamps’ contract. Finally, today that discussion ended.
Earlier, the French press reported that Deschamps, who led France to three World Cups as a coach, is unwilling to extend the contract beyond two years, FFF president Noel Griet. Griet wanted to keep Desham until 2024 Euros.
Didier Deschamps says I am now going to announce something that is very happy news for me. And the news is that the president has decided to extend my (contract) period till 2026.
Today, Desham announced the extension of the contract after the FFF general meeting, “I am now going to announce something, which is very happy news for me. And the news is that the president has decided to extend my (contract) period till 2026. I thank the president for always supporting me and trusting me. The France team needed something to go well.
In 2014, France reached the quarter-finals of the first World Cup played under Didier Deschamps. The French’s run to the last eight ended with a loss to eventual World Cup champions Germany. However, before the World Cup, the FFF extended the contract for another two years. Desham couldn’t have the last laugh after leading the team to the Euro final two years later. France lost to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. But that didn’t stop him as Deschamps coached France for another four years.
France won the World Cup for the second time after defeating Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 World Cup final. However, in the 2020 Euro held in 2021, the journey of the French ended in the last sixteen. Then there was that tiebreaker loss to Messi in the ‘best final ever’ in Qatar last month.
The question is whether Desham can stay until the end of the World Cup organized by Canada-United States-Mexico in 2026 after the contract expires.
