Deschamps Era Ends as France Fall 2-0 to Spain
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- France lost 2-0 to Spain in Tuesday's World Cup semi-final in Dallas, managing just 10 shots and an expected goals tally of 0.3 — their lowest output of the tournament.
- Didier Deschamps, 57, set a record in Dallas for most World Cup games managed (26), surpassing Helmut Schön's mark of 25, in what was his final competition after confirming in January 2025 he would step down.
- Deschamps is one of only three people to win the World Cup as both player (1998) and manager (2018), alongside Brazil's Mario Zagallo and West Germany's Franz Beckenbauer.
- Patrick Vieira told ITV France 'haven't shown up' and that their top players 'went missing,' despite entering as overwhelming favourites.
- Zinedine Zidane is the favourite to replace Deschamps, with ESPN reporting in March that a verbal agreement was already in place for the 1998 World Cup winner to take over this summer.
- France's squad featured joint tournament top scorer Kylian Mbappé, Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, and Bayern Munich's Michael Olise, with former striker Olivier Giroud telling BBC Deschamps 'deserved to exit by the big door.'
Why it matters: Deschamps' departure closes a 14-year era that delivered two World Cup finals and the 2018 trophy, handing the top job in French football to Zidane — whose appointment appears already agreed — but the next manager inherits a star-studded squad that produced just 0.3 xG in the semi-final, a performance Patrick Vieira called collectively 'really bad' and that suggests deeper issues than the coaching change will resolve.
