2026 World Cup: Didier Deschamps Mourns a Loved One. The Head Coach Returns to France

France will face Norway in the match to decide the top spot in Group I of the 2026 World Cup in North America without head coach Didier Deschamps. The Les Bleus coach has suffered a great loss: his mother, Ginette, has passed away at the age of 86. The French manager will therefore return home for the funeral and will miss the final group stage match against Erling Haaland and his teammates.

Assistant coach Guy Stephan will take his place at the helm of the French team: “Didier Deschamps will not be able to lead training sessions ahead of the Norway-France match. He will also be absent from the bench for Friday’s final Group I match. The coach learned of his mother’s death this morning and will return to France to attend the funeral,” according to a statement from the French Football Federation in Paris.

“In agreement with Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation, who is currently at the national team’s training camp, Deschamps has entrusted assistant coach Guy Stephan with the responsibility of leading the team until his return.”

France comfortably won its first two group stage matches against Senegal and Iraq and has already qualified for the round of 16. Kylian Mbappé is rewriting history in this World Cup. The captain of Les Bleus has scored four goals in the first two matches—a brace against Senegal and another against Iraq—bringing his total to 16 goals in World Cup history, placing him second all-time. With these numbers, he has set his sights on Lionel Messi, who is currently the competition’s all-time leading scorer with 18 total goals.