Didier Deschamps temporarily leaves the French national team after the death of his mother
The French national football team will be without head coach Didier Deschamps in the final part of the group-stage competition at the 2026 World Cup. The French Football Federation announced on June 23 that Deschamps had learned that morning of his mother’s death and that he would return to France to attend the funeral. According to the federation’s statement, the head coach will therefore not lead training sessions ahead of the Norway – France match, nor will he be on the bench on Friday in the final Group I fixture. This is a temporary departure, and the federation stated that the decision was made in agreement with FFF president Philippe Diallo, who is in the French national team camp during the tournament in the United States of America. Until Deschamps returns, the team will be led by his assistant Guy Stéphan, to whom the head coach has entrusted work with the squad and the operational management of the group.
Guy Stéphan takes over training sessions and the bench against Norway
The official announcement of the French Football Federation states that Guy Stéphan will take responsibility for the team “until the return” of Didier Deschamps. Stéphan is listed on the FFF’s official coaching staff roster as the assistant coach of the French national team, alongside goalkeeping coach Franck Raviot and fitness coach Cyril Moine. His role now gains special weight because this is not only an administrative replacement during several training sessions, but the management of a match that can determine the final order of the group. France has already secured qualification for the round of 32, but the match against Norway remains important because of first place and a potentially more favorable path in the continuation of the competition. The federation did not announce the exact date of Deschamps’s return, but described the circumstances as an extremely painful period for the head coach and his family.
For the French national team, the change comes at a moment when the sporting part of the tournament had so far proceeded without major result-related difficulties. According to the chronology published by the FFF, France defeated Senegal 3:1 in the first Group I match at MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey, and then on June 22 in Philadelphia beat Iraq 3:0. The second match was interrupted for more than two hours because of protocol related to a storm and lightning near Lincoln Financial Field stadium, after which the French completed the job and confirmed their passage to the first knockout round. Kylian Mbappé stood out in both matches, and after the match against Iraq the FFF stated that the captain had increased his output at the tournament and further strengthened his status as the team’s key player. Such a results start gives Stéphan’s staff a more stable position, but it does not remove the competitive pressure of the final round.
The duel with Norway still decides the top of Group I
According to FIFA’s match centre, Norway and France are scheduled to play on June 26 at the stadium in Boston, that is, in Foxborough, and the match is listed as a first-round Group I fixture. In its preview of the French schedule, the FFF stated that the match is played on Friday at 21:00 Central European Summer Time, while FIFA’s schedule lists the match at 19:00 UTC. At the same time, Senegal and Iraq play the other match of the final group round, in which both national teams will try to remain in contention for a possible passage among the best third-placed teams. Since the 2026 World Cup is the first edition with 48 national teams and a round of 32, third place in the group can have significantly greater value than in the earlier format with 32 national teams.
Ahead of the final round, France and Norway each have two wins. According to the updated group overview published by The Sporting News, France is on six points with a goal difference of 6:1, while Norway is also on six points, with a record of 7:3. The same overview states that both national teams have already been marked as qualified for the knockout phase, while Senegal and Iraq remain without points after two defeats. In such a schedule, the winner of the Norway – France match would finish at the top of the group, while a draw, according to the available table, would be enough for France to retain first place because of a better overall goal difference. If the teams are level on points after the end of the group, FIFA’s ranking rules apply, including head-to-head record, goal difference and number of goals scored, followed by additional criteria.
France in the new World Cup format
The 2026 World Cup is played from June 11 to July 19 in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico. In its overview of the tournament, the FFF states that this is the 23rd edition of the competition and the first with 48 national teams, after FIFA approved the format expansion in 2017. Instead of the former structure with 32 teams, the tournament is now played through 12 groups of four national teams, followed after the group stage by the round of 32. For national teams such as France, which entered the tournament with high expectations, that means a longer path to the final stages and the need for careful management of energy, the roster and the rhythm of matches. Finishing the group in first place does not guarantee an easy continuation, but it can influence the opponent, part of the draw and logistics in the early phase of the knockout competition.
France entered Group I with the reputation of one of the most successful national teams of the modern era. In its official overview of France’s appearance at the World Cup, the FFF states that “Les Bleus” have won the title twice, in 1998 and 2018, and that in the last 24 years they have played in four finals, including the 2022 final in Qatar. The same overview recalls that Deschamps has been present at World Cups both as a former player and as head coach: he won the title as captain in 1998, and as head coach led France at the tournaments in 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026. That line of continuity makes his temporary departure especially sensitive, because this is a head coach whose authority has long been one of the stabilizing elements of the national team. Still, precisely the long-standing structure of the staff should mitigate the consequences of a short-term absence.
Sporting focus after personal loss
The announcement of Deschamps’s departure came only a day after France confirmed its passage onward with a victory against Iraq. According to the FFF’s daily report from the national team camp, the match in Philadelphia was marked by a long interruption due to weather conditions, but ended with a French victory and safe qualification for the round of 32. In such circumstances, the coaching staff must now maintain the competitive rhythm, but also take account of the emotional moment, which cannot be viewed only through a sporting lens. In its statement, the federation expressed support for Deschamps and his family, emphasizing that this was an “extremely painful moment”. Such a tone shows that the FFF presented the decision primarily as a family and human matter, and only then as an organizational issue for the national team.
For the players, the absence of the head coach immediately before the match with Norway means an adjustment in communication, but not necessarily a change in the planned model of play. Stéphan is part of the staff that participates daily in preparing training sessions, analyzing opponents and implementing Deschamps’s tactical ideas. Such a continuity replacement is in practice less risky than the arrival of a person from outside the system, especially at a major competition where every routine is planned in advance. Against Norway, France will probably rely on the same foundations that brought it two opening victories: compactness, individual quality in attack and the ability to quickly punish opponents’ mistakes. Norway, on the other hand, enters the match relieved by the fact that it has already secured passage, but also motivated by the opportunity to win first place in the group against one of the tournament favorites.
Norway as a serious test before the knockout phase
Norway has already shown attacking strength in Group I. According to The Sporting News results overview, the Norwegian national team beat Iraq 4:1 in Foxborough and Senegal 3:2 in New York New Jersey. That brought it to the final round with the same number of points as France, with one more goal scored, but also more goals conceded. Even before the tournament, FIFA presented the Norway – France match through the duel of two leading forwards, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé, which further increases international attention around the encounter. In a sporting sense, this match will give France its first serious insight into how its defense and transition function against an opponent that can combine physical power, speed and directness in the final third.
Although qualification has already been secured, the match with Norway is not a formality. In the expanded World Cup format, the path through the knockout phase can depend significantly on the group ranking, and each position carries a different schedule and potential opponents. In its overview, The Sporting News states that the winner of Group I goes into one part of the draw against one of the third-placed national teams from certain groups, while the runner-up enters another part of the bracket against the second-placed national team from Group E. Such projections can change depending on the outcome of the other groups, but they explain why France will try to retain first place even without Deschamps on the bench. For a national team that is often judged through the highest ambitions, every scheduling detail can gain importance before the start of the knockout phase.
Deschamps’s absence in the broader context of the French era
Deschamps is one of the most important figures in French football, not only because of trophies but also because of the duration of his tenure. In its official overview of the 2026 World Cup, the FFF lists him as a head coach leading his fifth World Cup when his 1998 appearance as a player is also included, while other tournament overviews recall that he took over the national team in 2012. His era brought the 2018 world title, the 2022 final and France’s constant presence in the closing stages of major competitions. That is precisely why even a temporary departure carries symbolic weight: it happens at a tournament that the FFF, in its calendar announcements, describes as Deschamps’s last World Cup on the France bench. In a sporting sense, the team must prove that the system can function even when the main authority briefly withdraws for family reasons.
At the same time, the head coach’s absence is a reminder of the limits of professional sport, even on the biggest stage. The World Cup is a global event, with millions of viewers, commercial pressure and very precise sporting logistics, but the FFF’s decision shows that personal circumstances in this case took precedence. Deschamps’s return to France does not change the fact that the team has already achieved its first objective, but it changes the atmosphere ahead of the final group match. France will play against Norway for first place, Stéphan will temporarily take over the most publicly visible role, and Deschamps’s return will be awaited ahead of the start of the knockout phase. Until then, the result against Norway will show how much the French structure, built over years, is capable of maintaining calm at a moment that for its head coach is above all personal.
Sources:
- Fédération Française de Football – official announcement on Didier Deschamps’s temporary departure after the death of his mother and Guy Stéphan’s takeover of the team (link)
- Fédération Française de Football – daily chronology of the French national team at the 2026 World Cup, including victories against Senegal and Iraq and confirmation of qualification for the round of 32 (link)
- Fédération Française de Football – official list of the French national team coaching staff, including Guy Stéphan’s role as assistant coach (link)
- Fédération Française de Football – overview of the 2026 World Cup, the 48-team format, hosts, schedule and data on France’s appearance (link)
- FIFA – Norway – France match centre, official time and location of the Group I fixture (link)
- The Sporting News – updated overview of the standings, results and schedule of Group I at the 2026 World Cup (link)