Long-serving France coach prepares for his final match as Les Bleus manager, with Zinedine Zidane widely expected to take over after the World Cup

For Didier Deschamps, Saturday’s World Cup third-place play-off against England in Miami is more than a final fixture. It marks the closing chapter of one of the most influential coaching tenures in the history of French football, bringing to an end 14 years in charge of Les Bleus before an anticipated new era under Zinedine Zidane.

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The Didier Deschamps France Coach story has been defined by extraordinary success, unwavering consistency and the rare distinction of lifting the FIFA World Cup both as captain and as manager.

While France had hoped to conclude his reign with another world title, a 2-0 semi-final defeat to Spain ended those ambitions, leaving the team to compete for third place instead.

Speaking ahead of his farewell match, the 57-year-old reflected on a journey that has taken him from moments of immense triumph to periods of disappointment.

“I had the privilege of experiencing moments that were magical, and others that were difficult,” Deschamps said.

“But life goes on. I’m a positive person, and I know things will be good, too. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Those words encapsulate a tenure that transformed France into one of international football’s dominant forces.

When Deschamps accepted the role in 2012, the national team was still recovering from the turmoil of the 2010 World Cup, where a player revolt and a group-stage exit had left French football deeply divided.

Although Laurent Blanc steadied the ship by guiding France to the quarter-finals of Euro 2012, it was Deschamps who restored the country’s place among football’s elite.

His defining achievement came at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, where France claimed their second global title and introduced Kylian Mbappé to the world as one of football’s brightest stars.

The triumph also placed Deschamps in an exclusive group of individuals to have won the World Cup both as a player and as a coach, having captained France to its first title in 1998.

There were painful moments along the way.

France fell to Portugal in the Euro 2016 final on home soil before suffering heartbreak in the 2022 World Cup final, where Argentina prevailed in a penalty shoot-out after one of the tournament’s greatest matches.

This year’s campaign also ended in disappointment after Spain halted France’s impressive run with a commanding semi-final performance in Arlington, Texas.

Even so, Deschamps leaves with a remarkable record.

Across seven major international tournaments, he guided France to at least the semi-finals on five occasions, an achievement few national team managers can match. Saturday’s encounter with England will also be his 27th World Cup match as France coach, setting a new tournament record.

Earlier in the competition, when asked to explain his sustained success, Deschamps offered a characteristically understated response.

“I don’t know, having very good players, I guess. But I can’t be doing my job too badly.”

In recent years, the veteran coach has also shown a willingness to evolve.

Long criticised for favouring a pragmatic style despite France’s attacking riches, Deschamps reshaped his tactical approach over the past year, allowing forwards such as Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise greater creative freedom.

The change helped France become one of the tournament’s most entertaining teams, although the more adventurous approach ultimately proved costly against Spain.

His final World Cup was also marked by personal grief after the death of his mother during the tournament, forcing him to return to France for her funeral and miss one match before rejoining the squad.

As Deschamps steps aside, attention has already shifted to the man widely expected to succeed him.

Former France captain and Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, Deschamps’ midfield partner during the country’s 1998 World Cup triumph, has long been regarded as the leading candidate for the role.

Since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, Zidane has repeatedly been linked with the national team job and has previously acknowledged that coaching France would fulfil a lifelong ambition.

“It is a dream,” Zidane has said of the prospect.

French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo also hinted earlier this year that the federation wanted a coach capable of uniting the country behind the national team.

“There are not many people capable of leading one of the world’s biggest national teams,” Diallo told Le Figaro.

“It needs to be someone who ticks every box and who everyone in France can get behind.”

If Zidane is confirmed as Deschamps’ successor, he will inherit one of the most gifted squads in world football.

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He will also inherit the weight of expectation created by a predecessor who restored France’s reputation, delivered a World Cup title and established an era of sustained excellence that will be remembered as one of the finest in the nation’s football history.