Deschamps to step down as France coach after 2026 World Cup: team source

FRANCE head coach Didier Deschamps will step down from the role when his current contract ends after the 2026 World Cup, a source close to the team said on Tuesday.

Deschamps led Les Bleus to the 2018 World Cup title, becoming only the third man to win the tournament as a player and a manager.

He took over from Laurent Blanc in 2012 and has taken France to three major finals in total, losing the Euro 2016 final to Portugal and the 2022 World Cup showpiece to Argentina.

Deschamps was captain when Les Bleus won their first World Cup on home soil in 1998.

The 56-year-old has already set the record for longest-serving official France coach.

European qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, gets under way later this year. AFP