Didier Deschamps’ storied tenure as France manager will end not in a World Cup final but in Saturday’s third-place play-off, after a 2-0 semi-final defeat by Spain that left the 57-year-old admitting he is “extremely happy” despite the disappointment.
France managed just 10 shots in Dallas, their lowest total in a World Cup, with an expected goals of 0.3. They had been overwhelming favourites but, as former France midfielder Patrick Viera told ITV: “They haven’t shown up. I was expecting more. All our top players went missing. Collectively we were really bad.”
“Deschamps' France exit after semi-final defeat; third-place play-off farewell.”
Kylian Mbappe criticised 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. They are better than us at controlling a game. We were too sloppy technically.”
Deschamps, who confirmed in January 2025 he would step down after the tournament, set a record for most World Cup games managed (26), surpassing Helmut Schon’s 25. He will now bow out against the loser of England v Argentina in Miami on Saturday at 22:00 BST.
“It’s not time to talk about the future,” he 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. Today is not such a moment. We must accept it without forgetting everything we experienced.”
Deschamps, one of only three people to win the World Cup as both player (1998) and manager (2018), leaves a legacy unmatched by most. But the third-place play-off is the consolation prize he never wanted.