Overview
- The French Football Federation said Didier Deschamps learned of his mother’s death on June 23 and flew home to attend the funeral, removing him from team duties for the near term.
- The FFF confirmed that assistant coach Guy Stéphan was entrusted to lead the squad with the agreement of federation president Philippe Diallo and that Deschamps will miss training and the bench for the Norway match.
- France and Norway have already qualified for the round of 32 and will meet on Friday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough to decide who finishes top of Group I.
- Finishing first in Group I changes France’s round‑of‑32 opponent and can alter the team’s overall knockout route, so the result will affect matchups and potential difficulty of their path forward.
- Deschamps has said he will step down after this World Cup and the federation has not given a timetable for his return to the United States, leaving Les Bleus to continue the tournament under temporary leadership.