Deschamps surpasses Schön as World Cup record coach – 26th tournament match against Spain

Record on French national holiday

The historic mark fell on France's national holiday. Bastille Day, July 14, is one of the most important commemorative days of the Republic. The fact that the statistic was surpassed precisely on this date gave the sporting milestone additional symbolic significance. In addition, the duel against Spain is a semifinal – meaning a match with a direct impact on the rest of the tournament. As a result, Deschamps stands not only statistically but also sportingly on the verge of a possible place in the final with France.

A small group of double winners

With the World Cup double as player and coach, Deschamps joins an exclusive circle. Franz Beckenbauer and Mário Zagallo had already won a World Cup title both as active players and as coaches. Only Vittorio Pozzo had previously won two World Cup titles as a coach: in 1934 and 1938 with Italy. Deschamps won the title as a player in 1998 and as a coach in 2018, both with France. He is thus the fourth coach in this category after Pozzo, Beckenbauer and Zagallo, and the first to have a title as player and coach with the same nation.

The path to the record was not a straight line. Over several editions of the tournament, Deschamps built up his record piece by piece. At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil he took over a team in transition before leading them to the title in 2018 in Russia. At the 2022 tournament and also at the current tournament in North America, France has so far not missed out on the late stages, but the path there has been marked by injuries and personnel setbacks. The period around the group match against Norway, which Deschamps missed for family reasons, in particular illustrates the burden of the job.

In parallel to the record, the French football public is primarily occupied with the question of succession. After this World Cup he will step down – reportedly in favor of Zinédine Zidane. The former world star and ex-Real Madrid coach has been considered the designated successor for months. An official confirmation is still pending, but the personnel decision is regarded as largely settled. Zidane knows the environment of the federation from his own experience as a player and has stressed repeatedly in recent years that a role as head coach of France would be appealing to him.

Zidane as designated successor

Attention is therefore already turning to the 2026 World Cup and the era beyond. Should Deschamps lead France into the final, he would end his tenure with a further high point. At the same time, the handover to Zidane would usher in a generational change likely to give Les Bleus a new direction. In Paris the development is being watched with great interest, as the last major tournaments have been marked by inconsistent performances.

DFB considering Klopp

On the German side, the succession question is also generating debate. According to information from within the federation, DFB president Bernd Neuendorf and Red Bull representative Oliver Mintzlaff met at an undisclosed location to discuss a possible role for Jürgen Klopp as coach of the German national team. Klopp is contractually tied to the Austrian Red Bull company until 2029. According to reports, Mintzlaff is to travel to New York over the weekend to attend the final in person and meet Klopp there. Klopp is working as an expert for MagentaTV during the tournament, with his last assignment scheduled for the final.

Meanwhile, England head coach Thomas Tuchel is facing criticism despite the 2:1 quarterfinal win against Norway. Former German national goalkeeper Oliver Kahn came to the defense of the 52-year-old in a LinkedIn post. 'Die Reaktionen folgten sofort. Und sie verraten mehr über unsere Zeit als über den Fußball', Kahn, who is known as a long-time Bayern Munich goalkeeper, wrote. 'Deshalb beginnt die eigentliche Führungsarbeit nicht nach einem verlorenen Spiel, sondern nach einem gewonnenen.' England meets Argentina in the semifinal on Wednesday at 9:00 p.m., with the match broadcast by MagentaTV and ARD.

Alongside the tournament, British human rights organization FairSquare filed a complaint with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) against FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The allegation is of repeated violations of the IOC's political neutrality rule. FIFA has so far not commented on the accusations.

The tournament itself began on June 11 in the United States, Mexico and Canada and is being held with 48 teams in twelve first-round groups. The German team was eliminated in the round of the last 16 by Paraguay, which subsequently had personnel consequences. Julian Nagelsmann had left the post of national coach two years before the end of his contract.

The final will kick off on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, after a closing ceremony lasting around an hour and a half. Artists performing at the show include Robbie Williams, Nicole Scherzinger, Laura Pausini, YouTuber IShowSpeed and Canadian pop star Justin Bieber during halftime. US singer Jennifer Hudson will sing the US national anthem, according to FIFA. For the opening evening, Coldplay, Nigerian musician Burna Boy, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel and a New York elementary school choir have also been announced.