France coach Didier Deschamps will miss the clash with Norway after his mother’s death
France coach Didier Deschamps will miss the final 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage match against Norway following the death of his mother, the French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed on Tuesday.
The 57-year-old left France’s World Cup base camp and returned home to attend a funeral, meaning he will not be on the line when Les Bleus end their Group I campaign later this week.
In an official statement, the French Football Federation confirmed that Deschamps will temporarily step down from his duties and put assistant coach Guy Stephan in charge of the team until his return.
“Didier Deschamps will not be able to oversee the training sessions ahead of Norway’s match against France. He will also be absent from the bench for Friday’s final Group I match,” the FFF said in a statement.
“The national team coach learned of his mother’s death this morning and will return to France for her funeral.
“In agreement with Philippe Dialle, the president of the French Football Federation, who is currently in the base camp of the French team, Deschamps has entrusted assistant coach Guy Stephan with the responsibility of leading the team until his return.”
The development comes at an otherwise positive moment for France, who have already secured their place in the knockout stages after winning their opening two matches of the tournament.
Les Bleus opened their campaign with a convincing 3-1 win over Senegal before following it up with a comfortable 3-0 win against Iraq. The six-point haul secured qualification from Group I with a game to spare and underlined why France remain among the favorites to win the World Cup.
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France looked like a team with serious ambitions to lift the trophy.
Deschamps’ side started the tournament by beating Senegal 3-1 and showed both attacking quality and resilience after being tested by one of Africa’s strongest teams. They followed that performance with an even more dominant display against Iraq, cruising to a 3-0 victory to secure qualification ahead of the final group game.
The results maintained France’s reputation as one of the most consistent teams at major tournaments under Deschamps. Since taking charge in 2012, the former World Cup-winning captain has led France to a World Cup title, a World Cup final and several deep tournaments.
With qualification already secured, Friday’s clash with Norway offers an opportunity to keep the momentum going ahead of the knockout stages. It also allows assistant coach Guy Stephan to oversee the team in Deschamps’ absence as the French side look set to finish top of Group I.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
24 Jun 2026 02:45 IST