France coach Didier Deschamps will miss the team's final FIFA World Cup group-stage match against Norway to attend his mother's funeral. His assistant, Guy Stephan, will take temporary charge. France has already qualified for the Round of 32.
Deschamps to miss Norway match for mother's funeral
The French Football Federation (FFF) announced that coach Didier Deschamps will not be present for the team's last FIFA World Cup 2026 group-stage fixture, against Norway, on June 26 (local time). Deschamps will be returning to France to attend the funeral of his mother, who passed away on Tuesday (local time).
The federation stated that Deschamps will return to France for the funeral and will be absent from both training sessions and the touchline for France's final group-stage fixture. "Didier Deschamps will not be able to lead training sessions ahead of the Norway-France match. He will also not be present on the bench on Friday for the last match of the Bleus in Group I," the FFF said in an X post. Didier Deschamps ne pourra pas assurer les entraînements avant la rencontre Norvège-France. Il ne pourra pas non plus être présent sur le banc vendredi pour le dernier match des Bleus dans le groupe I (21 heures, h.f.). Le sélectionneur national a eu la douleur, ce mardi matin,… pic.twitter.com/Mqi67B0tJF — FFF (@FFF) June 23, 2026
The FFF said that Deschamps learned of his mother's passing on Tuesday morning and will return to France to attend her funeral. "The national team coach had the sorrow, this Tuesday morning, of learning of the death of his mother. He will return to France to attend her funeral," the FFF said.
Guy Stephan to take temporary charge
The FFF further said that, in agreement with federation president Philippe Diallo, Deschamps has handed temporary responsibility of the France team to his assistant, Guy Stephan, during his absence. "In agreement with Philippe Diallo, the president of the French Football Federation, who is present at the France team's base camp for the World Cup in the United States, Didier Deschamps has entrusted responsibility to his assistant, Guy Stephan, to lead the group until his return. In this extremely painful moment, we wish the coach and his family much courage and assure them of the support of everyone at the Federation," the federation added.
France's World Cup Campaign
France has already secured qualification for the Round of 32 at the ongoing FIFA World Cup after registering consecutive wins over Senegal (3-1) and Iraq (3-0), maintaining a strong start to their campaign.
Deschamps' illustrious career
Notably, Deschamps, one of football's most accomplished figures, is among the only three individuals to have won the FIFA World Cup both as a player and a coach. He won the coveted trophy as a player in 1998 in France, where he also captained the side, and then won it in 2018 as the head coach of the French national football team, in Russia. (ANI)
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