Deschamps ends 14-year France reign with defeat, Mbappé pays tribute

Didier Deschamps closed his 14-year tenure as France coach with a 4-6 defeat to England in the 2026 World Cup third-place playoff, a match that saw the highest score in a World Cup third-place game Source: infobae. The loss capped a tournament where France fell short of the final, losing 0-2 to Spain in the semifinals Source: elcolombiano.

The match

France trailed 4-0 at halftime, with Deschamps admitting "the first part was terrible" and taking responsibility: "the fault is mine" Source: infobae. A second-half rally, including a double from Kylian Mbappé, briefly made it 4-4 before England pulled away. The match exposed lingering disappointment from the semifinal loss, with some French players reportedly blaming Deschamps' tactics, particularly keeping Aurélien Tchouaméni in the starting lineup Source: infobae. Ousmane Dembélé's halftime intervention questioning pressing tactics also caused discomfort Source: infobae.

A legendary legacy

Despite the ending, Deschamps leaves as one of France's most successful managers, winning the 2018 World Cup and 2021 Nations League, and reaching the 2016 Euro and 2022 World Cup finals Source: abces. The French Football Federation praised his "exceptional work" Source: abces. Mbappé, who debuted under Deschamps at 18, called him "one of the greatest legends of our country" and lamented: "We should have given you a better ending, but we failed" Source: clarin. Deschamps himself called his tenure "a wonderful adventure" and said he felt like a "guardian" of the national team Source: infobae. Zinedine Zidane is expected to succeed him Source: abces.