The great fall… France between the end of the Deschamps era and the beginning of the review

The French national team lost the opportunity to reach the World Cup final for the third time in a row, after losing to Spain with two unanswered goals in the 2026 World Cup semi-final, in a match that ended a series of achievements and reopened the file on the future of coach Didier Deschamps, amid questions about the ability of the current generation to regain its luster.

The loss was not just a passing stumble, but rather carried with it negative historical numbers, as France was eliminated from the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in 40 years, and a series of 11 elimination matches ended without defeat in the World Cup, and the “Roosters” failed to score for the first time in a long time in the elimination rounds.

The French team entered the match as favorites to qualify, but it lacked control of the midfield and had difficulty building attacks, while Spain succeeded in imposing its style and closing spaces in front of the attacking trio of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise.

The statistics reflected the extent of the offensive suffering, after the expected value of France’s goals reached only 0.30 goals, which is the lowest average for the team in the tournament, and a clear indication of Spain’s tactical superiority.

Deschamps admitted after the match that his country’s team was not at its best, stressing that Spain deserved to win, and that his players committed more technical errors than in previous matches, and they also suffered physically in the face of the opponent’s rhythm.

Spain also ended a distinguished French series in the knockout rounds, as the Roosters’ last loss in a World Cup knockout match dates back to the quarter-finals of the 2014 edition against Germany, before the team then played 11 matches without defeat until its current downfall.

The Spanish national team also established its superiority in the major confrontations against France, after previously defeating it in the semi-finals of the 2025 European Nations League, before renewing its superiority by eliminating it from the World Cup, in an indication of the change in the balance of power between the two teams during the recent period.

Kylian Mbappe’s lackluster performance was one of the most prominent reasons for the failure, as his offensive influence was absent, in addition to the suffering of Dembele and Olise, in light of the midfield’s inability to break the Spanish pressure and create opportunities.

The exit coincided with the escalation of talk about the approaching end of the Deschamps era, which led France to the 2018 World Cup title and the 2022 final, while expectations indicate that Zinedine Zidane may be the most prominent candidate to succeed him.

Despite the harshness of the loss, the French team remains one of the most prominent teams in the world during the last decade, but the defeat against Spain confirmed the need for the “Roosters” to review their artistic project and renew their blood, to maintain their position among the top international teams.