Deschamps leads Al-Zarqa to the third consecutive semi-final

Didier Deschamps has had to contend with a personal tragedy and the growing realization that his long tenure as coach of the French national team is nearing its end, yet he appears more at ease than ever at the World Cup, having guided the title favorites to the semifinals.

France encountered little difficulty in overcoming Morocco, with captain Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé scoring to secure a 2-0 victory in the quarter-final match in Boston. Deschamps said, “Right now we are in the semifinals. There is one more step ahead, and it will clearly be very difficult.”

Tuesday’s match in Dallas against Spain will be France’s third consecutive semifinal under his leadership, underscoring France’s status as a powerhouse in modern football.

Deschamps spoke with humility: “I don’t know, perhaps having very good players. But I must not be doing a bad job,” he added. “It is a human adventure, and although I chose the players, being with this group every day is extremely important. I am personally happy, and I am also happy to see them enjoying themselves.”

The players have also expressed their appreciation for him, as Mbappé did when he celebrated a goal in France’s 3-0 win over Sweden in the round of 32 by running toward his coach and embracing him. At the time, Deschamps (57) had just returned to the national team setup after traveling to his home country following the death of his mother. Mbappé recalled, “It is in the nature of this team to stand together and behind the coach no matter what. We wanted him to feel that he was not alone.”

Deschamps was still relatively young when he became France’s coach 14 years ago. At that time, Les Bleus needed a fresh start after the scandal at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, which saw players rebel against then-coach Raymond Domenech before being eliminated in the group stage.

Now, Deschamps has led the team on a new deep run, despite the squad differing significantly from previous tournaments. He noted, “There are things we can repeat, but it is not simply a matter of copy and paste. Conditions are never exactly the same, and there are always many issues to deal with.”

Deschamps is one of only three individuals to have won the World Cup both as a player and as a coach, alongside Brazil’s Mário Zagallo and Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer. He is now aiming to become the second manager to win the title twice, after Italy’s Vittorio Pozzo in the 1930s.

That would be a perfect conclusion to his career before moving on to a new challenge, with Zinedine Zidane expected to succeed him. Deschamps said, “I do not think about leaving gracefully through the front door. The collective interest is what matters most.”