Deschamps' France tenure ends with third-place playoff after

Didier Deschamps' storied tenure as France manager will conclude on Saturday in the World Cup third-place playoff, a match no team wants to play, after a disappointing 2-0 semi-final defeat to Spain in Dallas. The 57-year-old, who won the World Cup as both a player in 1998 and a manager in 2018, saw his hopes of a third title end as France managed just 10 shots—their lowest total in a World Cup match—with an expected goals of 0.3, despite entering as overwhelming favourites.

Disappointing performance against Spain

France, who had impressed with attacking displays throughout the tournament, failed to create meaningful chances. Former France midfielder Patrick Vieira told ITV: "They haven't shown up. I was expecting more. There was a big expectation for France to win the World Cup. France will all be disappointed by the result and the performance. All our top players went missing. Collectively we were really bad."

Kylian Mbappe appeared to criticise France's tactics, saying: "We were three against two in midfield, and against Spain that's hard. There was a lack of communication on the press. We should have done man-to-man press and forced them to run with us. When you don't do what you have to do in a World Cup semi-final, you don't win. Spain respected their gameplan and what the team usually does. They are better than us at controlling a game. We didn't manage to do it. We were too sloppy technically. We could not hurt them when we could have."

Deschamps' record and farewell

Despite the defeat, Deschamps set a record for most World Cup games managed—26—surpassing the previous mark of 25 held by West Germany's Helmut Schon. Deschamps, who took charge in 2012, confirmed in January 2025 that he would step down after the tournament. He will lead France one last time on Saturday against the loser of the England-Argentina semi-final, with kick-off at 22:00 BST in Miami.

"It's not time to talk about the future," Deschamps said in his post-match news conference. "It is not important on a personal level whether I leave a competition in a semi-final or final. I am extremely happy. I am very proud of everything we've done to reach this stage and to win a World Cup—to take the French team to the highest level. I have been lucky as a player. I have enjoyed happy moments. Today is not such a moment. We must accept it without forgetting everything we experienced."

Legacy of a great

Deschamps is one of only three people to win the World Cup as both a player and manager, alongside Brazil's Mario Zagallo and West Germany's Franz Beckenbauer. His 14-year tenure as France boss is rare in modern football. He won 20 of his 26 World Cup games, losing only three times. As a player or manager, he was involved in more than half of France's World Cup victories and both of their title wins.

France reached the quarter-finals in four successive tournaments, a feat achieved by only three teams before. They lost the 2022 final to Argentina on penalties, coming close to becoming only the third team to retain the World Cup. Expectations were high with a squad featuring joint tournament top scorer Kylian Mbappe, Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele, and Bayern Munich's rising star Michael Olise.

"There was extra motivation for all the players at this World Cup to give Didier the ending he wanted, and deserved," said former France striker and BBC pundit Olivier Giroud. "He deserved to exit by the big door. He did not quite manage that but he is still a great, for what he has already done in his 14 years. His record does the talking for him." Giroud, who won the 2018 World Cup under Deschamps, added: "He is like a second father for some players, like a second dad."