France coach Deschamps returns home after mother's death, to miss Norway match

France national football team coach Didier Deschamps, 57, will miss his side's final group-stage match at the 2026 World Cup after the death of his mother.

The French Football Federation (FFF) announced Wednesday that Deschamps learned of his mother's passing that morning and would return to France to attend her funeral.

"We send our coach our deepest strength during this time of grief and want him to know that we are all by his side," the federation said, adding that assistant coach Guy Stephan would take temporary charge of the team — including the final group-stage match against Norway — until Deschamps returns.

The federation did not say when Deschamps is expected to return to the United States.

Deschamps, who has publicly announced he will step down after this tournament following 14 years in charge of the national team, has guided France to the round of 32 with wins over Senegal (3-1) and Iraq (3-0) in their first two matches.

The victory over Iraq gave Deschamps his 16th World Cup win — against three draws and two losses — drawing level with the late Helmut Schön, who coached West Germany, for the most wins by a manager in World Cup history.

Should France beat Norway, Deschamps would set the all-time World Cup wins record for a manager in his absence.

Deschamps won the World Cup as a player at the 1998 tournament on home soil, then claimed the trophy again as a coach at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he led France to the final before losing to Argentina on penalties to finish as runner-up.

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