France look to Zidane after Spain defeat ends Deschamps era

PARIS: France's World Cup campaign ended with a 2-0 semi-final defeat to Spain, a result that closed Didier Deschamps' long tenure and turned attention toward an expected new phase under Zinedine Zidane.

France had gone into the match in Dallas after six straight wins and with hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final. But against their first genuinely top-level test of the tournament, they were second best both technically and tactically and never appeared likely to shift the course of the game.

The loss was another painful setback for a squad packed with attacking talent, including Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola. It also marked France's third successive defeat to Spain in a major semi-final, following Euro 2024 and the Nations League.

Mbappe said France had fallen short in every key aspect of the contest.

"We didn't play the match we wanted to play, whether tactically or technically. When you don't do what you're supposed to do in a World Cup semi-final, you don't win", he stated.

Mbappe also said Spain had been better at controlling the game and that France had been unable to change that balance. Substitute Rayan Cherki was equally blunt in his assessment.

"We lost to ourselves. We didn’t lose because of the referee, and we didn’t lose to Spain", he added.

End of a long Deschamps reign

The defeat means Deschamps' 14-year spell in charge will effectively end after Saturday's third-place playoff. Since taking over in 2012, he rebuilt a national side still affected by the turmoil of the 2010 World Cup, when a player revolt and a training boycott plunged French football into crisis.

Under Deschamps, France became a consistent force in major tournaments. He led them to the 2018 World Cup title and guided them back to the final in 2022. His approach, built on balance, discipline and managing tournament football, repeatedly brought results, even if it did not always fully use the depth of attacking talent available to him.

Zidane seen as natural successor

Zidane has not been formally appointed, but the former France captain and Real Madrid coach is widely viewed as the obvious successor. If he does take charge, his main challenge would not be identifying talent but building a framework that allows France's gifted individuals to function more effectively as a team.

France's progress during the tournament, particularly improvements in their attacking play and Olise's emergence as a creative influence, may offer encouragement for the next coach. At the same time, the manner of the defeat to Spain underlined the work still required if France are to convert promise into major titles.

For Mbappe, now 27, and the core of this squad, time is still on their side, with many players likely to remain at or near their peak by Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup. But after losing the 2022 World Cup final on penalties and seeing Spain end their run in three successive major tournaments, France face renewed pressure to make sure a richly talented generation is remembered for more than near misses.