France finished fourth at FIFA’s flagship men’s competition
Les Bleus boasted the tournament’s deadliest attack
Despite disappointment, Deschamps leaves team in strong position
Didier Deschamps bowed out as France head coach with a fourth-place finish at the , as Les Bleus were beaten 6-4 by England in a pulsating bronze final.
At this year’s global showpiece, the long-serving coach opted to deploy a formation with four attackers for the first time at a major tournament. This tactical shift paid dividends, with his side’s ten goals making them the joint-top scorers in the group stage, level with Germany and the Netherlands, and across the entire competition, level with England on 20 strikes.
Star striker Kylian Mbappe’s ten-goal haul earned him the for the second successive tournament. With 22 FIFA World Cup™ goals to his name, he has also become the .
The French captain’s outstanding performances owed much to his excellent understanding with Michael Olise. Bayern Munich’s wily winger – often deployed as a playmaker – served up seven assists, including five for Mbappe. In doing so, the number 11 claimed the tournament’s assist crown, eclipsing Pele’s record of six at a single World Cup.
“It’s so easy to play alongside Michael. He always keeps his head up, so you’ve got to try to give him an option. He has an unrelenting desire to drive forward and set up his team-mates,” praised Mbappe after in the group stage.
Ousmane Dembele also proved pivotal to France’s attacking prowess. Playing out wide, he scored his first goals at the global extravaganza, netting six in total, including a hat-trick in his side’s in their final group outing. This nudged him ahead of Zinedine Zidane’s tally of five World Cup goals and put him level with Thierry Henry, helped in no small part by three assists from his talismanic skipper.
On the left flank, Desire Doue, who contributed one goal and as many assists, and Bradley Barcola, who chalked up three goals and one assist, alternated between starting and making an impact from the bench. The Paris Saint-Germain prodigies showed no signs of stage fright in their maiden campaigns on football’s ultimate stage. Alongside their defensive work, their blistering pace and technical quality often came to the fore at key moments.
While Didier Deschamps overhauled his attacking system, he also reshaped the midfield, opting for a two-man unit rather than the trio he had used at previous major tournaments. The change enabled Les Bleus to dominate possession and control games throughout their run to the semi-finals, thanks largely to the sturdy partnership of Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot.
This World Cup also provided an opportunity to see Manu Kone in action. The midfielder made four starts and gave a good account of himself in his first major tournament for France. In from the off against England and introduced off the bench against Morocco, Warren Zaire-Emery also got his first taste of the world’s premier tournament. Still only 20, he represents the future of this national team.
Dembele, Zaire-Emery's Paris Saint-Germain team-mate, was delighted to see him come on as a substitute against the Atlas Lions: “I’m thrilled for him. He’s earned his place in this team. He’s an incredible player who would be an asset to any side.”
In front of the ever reliable Mike Maignan, Deschamps kept faith with the centre-back pairing that had established itself as France’s first choice at the UEFA EURO 2024: Bayern Munich's Dayot Upamecano and Arsenal's William Saliba.
The pair made it all the way through this year’s showpiece without picking up a single yellow card and, in a France side that dominated most opponents on the way to the last four, remained fully focused whenever they were called into action. Upamecano underlined his growing authority at the heart of the backline, as illustrated by his assured substitute appearance against England in the third-place play-off. Whilst Deschamps’ men regularly found themselves in trouble during the first half against the Three Lions, the Bayern Munich man brought a sense of calm and stabilised a defence that had been under severe pressure up to that point.
Having made two starts before coming on in the first half against Spain, Maxence Lacroix also showed that he could handle the pressure of the biggest stage. Indeed, his confident display against La Roja was one of the few bright sparks on an otherwise deflating afternoon for France.
Les Bleus gave Deschamps plenty to smile about until their to eventual champions Spain. Although their campaign ended in a wild , Deschamps can walk away knowing that he led the most prolific France team of his tenure. Their 2026 showing was also the second-best attacking performance by Les Bleus at a World Cup, behind the 23 goals scored in the 1958 tournament.
After a quarter of a century at the helm, Deschamps leaves behind a French national team that has firmly established itself amongst the world’s footballing elite. “This has been the pinnacle of my career. I dedicated 25 years of my life to it. Spending that long on something would leave its mark on anyone. It feels all the more special because I’ve created some unforgettable memories,” he reflected ahead of his 187th and final match in charge, against familiar foes England.
Deschamps signs off with a distinguished World Cup record, having guided France to the quarter-finals in 2014, the semi-finals in 2026, the trophy decider in 2022 and, of course, the ultimate prize in 2018.
Sources: FIFA Official
