Does the French national team need a new coach ahead of the 2026 World Cup?

There is no denying that France boasts one of the best national squads in world football, but the nation was disappointed at the EUROs this past summer when the French were dumped out of the competition at the semi-final stage. 

However, the manner of performances would have irritated the home support more than anything else, as France really struggled in the final third. Their first effort from open play was not netted until the knockout stage. 

The defeat at the hands of Spain left questions surrounding Didier Deschamps's long-term future. Would now be the right time to part ways with the national legend before qualifying for the 2026 World Cup gets underway?

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Disappointing EURO Campaign

Several nations underwhelmed at the EUROs, with Italy, Portugal, and Germany all failing to reach the semi-final stage. However, France was deemed to be among the front-runners to win the tournament before a ball was kicked, meaning that Deschamps was heavily criticised in the aftermath of the tournament. 

The issues within the camp appeared to be clear from the group stage, with France failing to find the back of the net in their group stage matches against Poland, Austria, and the Netherlands. However, there was always a sense that the French would grow into the tournament, with their competition experience likely to be a key factor. 

However, the performance levels didn’t improve, edging past Belgium by a one-goal margin in the round of 16 before needing penalties to edge past Portugal in the quarterfinals. Their poor displays on the field would ultimately catch up to them in the semi-finals when pitted against Spain, as they threw away a 1-0 lead to suffer elimination. 

No Knee-Jerk Reaction

France quickly addressed any rumours that Deschamps could part company with the team following the semi-final defeat, with Philippe Diallo revealing that no manager is better suited to guiding the team through to the 2026 World Cup. It wasn’t the first time Deschamps’s position has been questioned, as the Frenchman was set to leave the set-up following the 2022 World Cup, which ultimately ended in defeat against Argentina. 

But, he was given the confidence to continue. Despite reaching the final of the World Cup in 2022, it would be hard to argue that they underwhelmed for large periods against the South Americans. 

Kylian Mbappe

But for Kylian Mbappe’s heroics, Argentina would have cruised to success in Qatar, meaning that the same issues that were evident in Germany over the summer have been simmering for an extended period. 

The pragmatic approach didn’t go down well with national team fans back in France, and there is a sense that the French governing body is approaching an important crossroads where a final decision must be made before the start of World Cup qualification. 

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Time For A Change?

Descamps has led the French team since 2012, reaching the quarterfinals at the 2014 World Cup in his first tournament. 

The landmark success came at the 2018 World Cup, but there have also been incredibly low points, including a EURO 2016 final loss in Paris and an embarrassing exit at the hands of Switzerland at EURO 2020. Change is ultimately the only tool that the French bosses have in response to lacklustre displays.

No doubt Deschamps has done an excellent job during his reign, but the international careers of many of his stalwarts to this point are coming to a close, with Hugo Lloris and Raphael Varane being the latest to end their national careers. Antoine Griezmann is the next to be phased out, while N’Golo Kante also isn’t getting any younger.

In order to build for the future, France will need to restart the transition, beginning with a new boss to oversee the future. Zinedine Zidane has been linked with the national team job since departing Real Madrid for the second time, and the former World Cup winner is reportedly very keen to take the job. But, the longer that France waits to make a decision, the more chance that there is of Zidane being snapped up by another opportunity. 

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