Didier Deschamps signs contract extension with French national team

Deschamps was captain of the side that hoisted aloft the famous trophy in 1998 and replicated the feat from the dugout 20 years later, becoming just the third man to ever win the World Cup on the field and in the technical area. The 54-year-old led Les Bleus back to the final in 2022, losing a six-goal thriller via a penalty shootout to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in December.

Deschamps’ deal was set to expire at the end of 2022 but the French Football Association (FFF) has officially announced that an extension for another three and a half years has been agreed upon.

The FFF released a statement which began: “The French Football Federation and Noël Le Graët, its president, are pleased to announce the extension of Didier Deschamps at the head of the French team until June 2026.

“Guy Stephan, assistant to Didier Deschamps, Franck Raviot, goalkeeping coach, and Cyril Moine, physical trainer, will also continue their mission in the French team.”

Interestingly, the 2026 World Cup, set to be held jointly in Mexico, the United States and Canada, is scheduled to take place between June and July that year, which runs outside Deschamps’ new contract.

The French publication Le Parisien claims that Deschamps’ agent Jean-Pierre Bernes needed less than 30 minutes to negotiate the details of his client’s new contract during a brief meeting with Noel Le Graet, the president of the French football association, on Thursday.

France’s president Emmanuel Macron made his position on a possible renewal for the manager abundantly clear before the final, offering “a huge thank you to our coach” and claiming: “Obviously Deschamps must stay”.

Deschamps was appointed manager of his national team in 2012, replacing Laurent Blanc after Euro 2012. The former Juventus Champions League winner already holds the record for matches as the manager of France’s men’s team – a tally he is set to add to over the coming years.