Spain Advances to World Cup Final with Convincing Win Over France
Didier Deschamps' extensive and distinguished tenure with the French national team will conclude in a manner he had not anticipated—participating in the World Cup third-place play-off on Saturday.
The 57-year-old, who achieved World Cup victories as both a player in 1998 and as a manager in 2018, saw his aspirations of securing a third title end following France's 2-0 defeat to Spain in Tuesday's semi-final match.
Throughout the tournament, France had impressed with dynamic attacking performances, yet in Dallas they managed only 10 shots—their lowest total in the World Cup—and recorded an expected goals (xG) value of just 0.3, underperforming relative to their status as pre-match favorites.
Former France midfielder Patrick Vieira told ITV: "They haven't shown up. I was expecting more. There was a big expectations for France to win the World Cup. "France will all disappointed by the result and the performance. All our top players went missing. Collectively we were really bad."
Kylian Mbappé expressed criticism of France's tactical approach, stating:
"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."
Though it offers limited consolation, Deschamps, who has led France since 2012, set a new record in Dallas for the most World Cup matches managed, with 26 appearances. He previously shared the record of 25 matches with former West Germany coach Helmut Schön.
Deschamps confirmed in January 2025 that he would step down following this summer's tournament. His final match will be the third-place play-off against the loser of the England versus Argentina semi-final in Miami on Saturday at 22:00 BST.
"It's not time to talk about the future," he said during his post-match press 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."
Deschamps' World Cup Legacy
Didier Deschamps reached two World Cup finals and a semi-final during his managerial career.
'He Deserved to Exit by the Big Door'
Deschamps is among an elite group of three individuals to have won the World Cup both as a player and as a manager, alongside Brazil's Mário Zagallo and West Germany's Franz Beckenbauer.
His longevity as France's manager is notable in the modern era, having held the position for 14 years. During his tenure, he secured 20 wins out of 26 World Cup matches, suffering only three defeats, including the recent loss to Spain in Texas.
Across his roles as player and manager, Deschamps has been involved in over half of France's World Cup victories and both occasions when they lifted the trophy.
Only three teams prior to this tournament have reached the quarter-finals in at least four consecutive World Cups.
France narrowly missed retaining the World Cup in 2022, losing to Argentina on penalties in the final, which would have made them only the third team to achieve back-to-back titles.
Expectations were high for this squad, featuring joint tournament top scorer Kylian Mbappé, Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, and emerging talent Michael Olise of Bayern Munich, to overcome a well-established Spanish defense and midfield.
"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 was part of the 2018 World Cup-winning team under Deschamps, added: "He is like a second father for some players, like a second dad. "For me it was not quite like that, but he gave me so many times his confidence, and I tried to repay him on the pitch. "This makes us very close and because we won that World Cup, we are linked forever. I always call him coach. "When you are in the national team, you don't have much time to work on tactics and each manager has their philosophy. "For Didier, his was more like 'you are big players, I leave you some freedom on the pitch'. He gave some instructions too of course, to keep the balance, so you always knew where each player would be. "The biggest thing he taught us was his desire, and his drive and ambition to be the absolute best and to win every single game. His competitive mindset was so clear."
'Guy Who Will Come In Will Find It Hard'
Former France defender Gaël Clichy, who played during Deschamps' first year as manager, praised him on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Deschamps, who has previously managed Monaco, Juventus, and Marseille, succeeded Laurent Blanc in 2012 following a period of poor tournament results for France, including group-stage exits at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. The 2010 squad notably refused to train due to a dispute with then-manager Raymond Domenech.
At Euro 2012, Laurent Blanc achieved a modest improvement by reaching the quarter-finals before being eliminated by eventual champions Spain.
Under Deschamps, the transformation has been significant, maximizing France's consistent talent pool and fostering a largely unified squad.
While Deschamps has yet to secure a European Championship title, France reached the final on home soil in 2016 and the semi-finals in 2024.
"His legacy was that he took a team that was below par and he managed to bring that team back up to the top," said ex-Arsenal and Manchester City player Clichy, who currently manages third-tier Caen in France. "This legacy of his really means we don't have to talk about what he should or could have done. "What he has done for French football as a player and a coach is fantastic. It is phenomenal."
The leading candidate to succeed Deschamps is former teammate Zinedine Zidane.
In March, ESPN reported that a verbal agreement was in place for Zidane to assume the managerial role this summer.
The 54-year-old, who won the 1998 World Cup alongside Deschamps, has secured three Champions League titles as manager of Real Madrid, his sole managerial position, ending his second tenure with the club in 2021.
Clichy said: "The guy who will come in behind Deschamps will find it hard. It won't be easy."
