Who is France’s team Coach? All about Didier Deschamps as he misses world cup after his mom’s death

France national team coach Didier Deschamps will be missing his team’s final 2026 World Cup match against Norway following the death of his mother.

The French Football Federation (FFF) has reportedly made the announcement on June 23 that the 57-year-old has left the U.S. for France to attend her funeral. They said in a statement:

“Didier Deschamps will not be able to be on the bench on Friday for the final Group I game. The coach had the painful experience of learning of his mother's death this morning. He will return to France to attend the funeral.”

In Deschamps’ absence, his assistant Guy Stephan will take charge of the match against Norway, which will be held on June 26. Deschamps is a French professional football manager and former player. He has been the head coach of the French national team since July 2012.

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Everything you need to know about Didier Deschamps

France head coach Didier Deschamps will not be attending his team’s final World Cup game following the demise of his mother. After he learned of her passing on the morning of June 23, he was permitted by FFF president Philippe Diallo to attend her funeral.

In an interview with ESPN in 2025, Deschamps shared that he planned to retire from coaching France’s national soccer team after the 2026 World Cup match. He said:

“In 2026 it will be over. In my head it's very clear. I've done my time, with the same desire and passion to maintain France at the highest level but 2026 is [a] very good [time to stop]. One has to be able to say stop, there's a life after this. The most important is for France to stay at the top as they have been for many years.”

Born Didier Claude Deschamps, he was born in October 1968 in Bayonne, France, to parents Ginette and Pierre Deschamps. His father was a building painter and worked for the local Direction départementale de l'Équipement. He was a former rugby player who played for Biarritz Olympique. He passed away in May 2022. His mother worked as a wool seller.

Didier Deschamps had an older brother named Philippe who tragically died in a plane crash of Air Littoral Flight 1919 in December 1987. Didier was 19 at that time. The loss left an indelible mark on him.

Deschamps grew up in the Basque Country, where family life was simple and rooted in the local community. After trying rugby, he switched to football. He joined the amateur club Aviron Bayonnais while still at school. At the age of 14, he moved to FC Nantes’ youth academy. He faced bullying from his teammates.

In 1985, Deschamps made his Ligue 1 debut for Nantes as a substitute in a match against Stade Brestois. It was around this time that he signed his first professional contract.

Deschamps won the FIFA World Cup twice, first as a player in 1998 and later as the manager of the France national team in 2018. Initially, he captained France to their first-ever World Cup triumph on home soil, defeating Brazil 3-0 in the final in Paris. He was officially appointed as the head coach of the French national football team in July 2012.

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Didier Deschamps tied the knot with Claude Deschamps in 1989. They first met in Nantes, when Didier had just graduated from the FC Nantes academy. At that time, Deschamps was 18, and she was 20 and studying speech therapy. It was a quick "coup de foudre" (love at first sight).

They share one son named Dylan, who was born in 1996. He pursued studies in science and has been married to entrepreneur Mathilde Cappelaere.

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