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France manager Didier Deschamps was unable to lead his team in their World Cup clash against Norway after returning home following the passing of his mother.

Deschamps left the United States earlier in the week to attend his mother’s funeral after receiving the sad news on Tuesday. Consequently, he missed Friday’s crucial Group I fixture against Norway at Gillette Stadium.

Both France and Norway had already secured their places in the round of 32, each having collected six points from victories over Senegal and Iraq. The two sides met in Boston to determine who would top the group and earn a trip to MetLife Stadium for the next round. France triumphed 4-1 after Norway’s manager Stale Solbakken made ten changes to his starting lineup, notably resting star striker Erling Haaland.

The French Football Federation (FFF) released a statement earlier this week confirming Deschamps’ absence from Les Bleus’ final group-stage match. “At this incredibly painful time, we wish the head coach great strength and assure him of everyone’s support,” read the official message from the governing body of French football.

Assistant coach Guy Stephan took temporary charge in Deschamps’ place for the encounter with Norway. Stephan, a long-time member of France’s coaching staff, managed the team from the sidelines and will hand control back to Deschamps ahead of the round of 32 fixtures.

Deschamps’ absence comes at a time when France are once again among the tournament favourites. The 57-year-old is one of the most respected figures in world football, belonging to an exclusive group of three men—alongside Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer—who have won the World Cup both as a player and as a manager.

As a player, Deschamps was a commanding midfielder and a serial winner, lifting league and Champions League titles with Marseille and Juventus. He captained France to their first-ever World Cup triumph on home soil in 1998 and followed that success with victory at the European Championship in 2000, where Les Bleus defeated Italy in the final in Rotterdam.

Appointed as France’s head coach in 2012 after successful spells in charge of Monaco, Juventus, and Marseille, Deschamps guided his nation to World Cup glory again in 2018, defeating Croatia in the final in Moscow. Under his leadership, France also came within a whisker of retaining their title at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, ultimately losing to Argentina on penalties in the final in Lusail.

That defeat denied France the chance to become only the third nation to win back-to-back World Cups and prevented Deschamps from joining Vittorio Pozzo as the only manager to claim consecutive titles with the same team.

Currently ranked at No.73 in FourFourTwo’s list of the greatest managers of all time, Deschamps is expected to return to the United States soon to resume his duties for the remainder of the 2026 World Cup. This tournament will mark his final campaign as France’s head coach, as his contract is set to conclude at the end of the summer.

Reports suggest that Zinedine Zidane, Deschamps’ former teammate and another World Cup winner, is the frontrunner to succeed him as the next head coach of the French national team.