France winger Ousmane Dembélé said the impending departure of manager Didier Deschamps is not a distraction for the squad heading into the FIFA World Cup, but is more of a motivator for the team to finish his reign on a high note.
Deschamps announced his intention to step down as France coach following the World Cup, closing a 14-year chapter with Les Bleus.
“We know it’s the last competition for the coach [Deschamps],” Dembélé told ESPN on Saturday. “He’s 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.”
Deschamps took over the French national team in the summer of 2012, replacing Laurent Blanc. He won the 2018 World Cup and 2021 Nations League while also reaching the 2016 European Championship, 2022 World Cup final, and the 2024 European Championship semifinals.
Deschamps currently stands as one of the longest-serving national team coaches in history.
The French manager will now lead Les Bleus through the 2026 World Cup group 1, facing Senegal, Iran and Norway.
Dembélé, who limped off toward the end of Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League final win over Arsenal, said the group is in a good state heading into the summer tournament, but remains focused due to the level of competition in this edition.
“There are many favorites, we know that Argentina is the reigning World Cup champions so obviously they are one of the favorites of this competition,” said Dembélé. “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 favorites but when the matches start it’s 11 against 11, there are no more favorites. I’ll have to stay focused.”
France opens this year’s World Cup on June 16 against Senegal at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
