The 2026 World Cup is the 3rd consecutive time the French team has reached the semi-finals. The previous two times, they won the championship in 2018 and finished second in 2022. Previously in 2014, they were defeated by Germany in the quarterfinals, who then won the championship.
If Spain is the 2026 World Cup champion, then the French team under Didier Deschamps is either the champion, or just loses to the teams that later won the championship. This is a period that few people thought Les Bleus could be so successful after the downward years from 2006 - 2014.
After the third-place match, Deschamps' journey with French football will be closing. He has spent 25 years of his life serving the blue shirt, from the position of player to coach. Deschamps left his position as the greatest French football star when he won the world championship both as a player and as the head coach of the national team. Anyone who wins the World Cup, no matter what position, is only in 1% of the best, let alone Deschamps has won twice.
Deschamps parted ways with the record of leading the most matches in a national team at the World Cup, surpassing Helmut Schon (Germany). He is also 1 of 5 coaches who have played 2 World Cup finals, alongside famous names in the past such as Helmut Schon, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Bilardo and Vittorio Pozzo.
Before the third-place match with England, Deschamps shared that the French team under him always had the goal of winning the world championship. The performances in recent years have proven that saying is not cliché. However, after the defeat against Spain in the semi-finals, French fans still believe that if there is still a chance, Deschamps can do even better.
Deschamps is good but also lucky to have in his hands a generation of excellent players, who have accompanied him through 7 campaigns. The leader among these is Kylian Mbappe, who has played with him in 5 tournaments. The generation in Deschamps' hands is so good that they do not need top stars like Karim Benzema but can still achieve glory in 2018.
The most regrettable thing for Deschamps is probably the EUROs when he lost many matches against opponents who were underestimated. In 2016, France lost to Portugal in the final just because of Eder's fateful shot. In 2021, France lost to Switzerland in the quarter-finals in a penalty shootout after leading 3-1 in the official half. At EURO 2024, France lost to Spain in the semi-finals in a tournament. Mbappe and a series of stars suddenly lost their form miserably.
Deschamps' career is complete but not perfect. If he leaves with another EURO title on the coaching bench, he will become the first person to both win the World Cup and EURO as a player and coach.
Didier Deschamps revived the French team after the gloomy years under Raymond Domenech, followed by 2 unimpressive years with Laurent Blanc. Later, when recalling the golden age of Les Bleus, fans will always remember Mbappe, Dembele, Kante, Pogba, Griezmann, Lloris,... and surely the name Deschamps will be indispensable, the coach who is still considered the greatest in the history of French football.
