Soccer
Ousmane Dembele said France are determined to finish Didier Deschamps’ reign on a high note and that his impending departure is not a distraction ahead of the World Cup.
Deschamps announced in January that he would step down from his role after a glittering 14-year tenure, during which he has helped France dominate world football.
The 57-year-old led Les Bleus to World Cup glory in 2018 while also finishing as runners-up at FIFA’s flagship competition four years ago after losing to Argentina on penalties.
France also won the Nations League in 2020-21, with Deschamps having won 114 of his 178 matches in charge across all competitions (D35 L29).
The next stop on Deschamps’ farewell tour is Stade Pierre-Mauroy, with France facing Northern Ireland on Monday before jetting off to North America for the World Cup.
And while all the talk heading into the World Cup surrounds Deschamps, Dembele is confident that will not hinder his team’s chances at trying to reclaim their world crown.
“We know it’s the last competition for the coach [Deschamps],” Dembele told ESPN on Saturday.
“He’s at a very high level, who has a lot of results with the French team. We’re very happy to have him, of course. We already played the World Cup with him.
“That’s what we’re essentially focused on. His leaving isn’t really impacting our mentality in this tournament; we want to finish well with him by reaching the World Cup final.
“He’s a coach who has counted on each of these players in the French team. He sends us congratulations or motivates us after a match.
“He’s very important to me personally in my career. We’ll try to do well with him as a coach because he deserves it.”
En Équipe pic.twitter.com/c3jd1ALGJ2
— Equipe de France (@equipedefrance) June 7, 2026
Deschamps’ side are assigned a 13% chance of winning the World Cup by the Opta supercomputer, with only Spain (16.1%) bettered fancies in its pre-tournament simulations.
France kicked off their World Cup preparations with a 2-1 defeat to Ivory Coast, as Rayan Cherki saw his opener cancelled out by Guela Doue and Amad Diallo in the second half.
Dembele did not feature in that match, given his involvement in Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League victory over Arsenal, and the Ballon d’Or holder said France were focused given the level of opposition at the World Cup.
“There are many favourites. We know that Argentina are the reigning World Cup champions, so obviously they are one of the favourites for this competition,” added Dembele.
“So is Spain, who won the Euro in 2024. England, Portugal, Germany. There are also very complicated teams, like Brazil, Ecuador, Portugal. It’s a difficult team.
“There are favourites, but when the matches start, it’s 11 against 11, there are no more favourites. I’ll have to stay focused.”
France’s Group I campaign begins on June 16 against Senegal, with clashes against Iraq and Norway to follow.
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