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France manager Didier Deschamps (C) pictured during the 2026 FIFA World Cup third place soccer match between France and England at the Miami Stadium. Martin Rickett/PA Wire/dpa
Dider Deschamps ended his tenure as France coach on a bitter note after a defeat to England that could have been an epic turnaround should the French team had completed a comeback.
England overpowered France in the first half to take a 4-0 lead. Les Bleus managed to cut their deficit to one goal, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice to become the all-time World Cup top scorer.
But England found energy late in the game and eventually won the clash for third place 6-4.
"It's a loss. We were down 4-0. we played a disgraceful first half. We did show some fight, though, and there were things we did well. We had two chances to tie it up at 4-4, and after that, we pushed forward a little more... We did what we know how to do," Deschamps said.
"It's my fault, I must not have done what was needed in the first half… At least it looked like something, even if the loss hurts. Obviously, it would have been better to finish third."
Deschamps will step down following 14 years in charge of France, having led the team to the World Cup title in 2018 and into the final in 2022.
A third straight final was denied him when Les Bleus lost 2-0 against Spain. England, meanwhile, were beaten 2-1 by title holders Argentina in the semi-finals.
"We came here with a lot of ambition. We managed to do quite a few positive things. We fell short in our match against Spain. It's not all a total loss. We have a quality squad, young players who will continue to move up the ranks. We had the talent to keep achieving very good results," Deschamps stressed.
"On a personal level, it's been a truly wonderful journey with them. We spent eight weeks together since the start of our preparations. It was wonderful. The disappointment lies in the sporting aspect, but we had the opportunity to stir up emotions, and millions of French people were able to experience those emotions."
Mbappé said it was a shame France didn't get the win for Deschamps and that the players "wanted to do something for him."
"The first half gives the impression that we let him down, that's not at all how we wanted him to feel. That match isn't going to tarnish Didier Deschamps' legacy."
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