France's head coach, Didier Deschamps, has returned to the team for their round of 32 World Cup match against Sweden. Deschamps had briefly left the squad to travel to Europe for his mother's funeral.
He learned of his mother's passing the day after France secured advancement from the group stage with a win over Iraq on June 22. Deschamps missed the subsequent victory against Norway. "I’m here. I’m good, and it’s good to be busy since Friday evening when I arrived back in the United States," Deschamps stated on Monday through a translator.
France achieved a clean sweep of its group matches, a feat not accomplished by the team since 1998. Alongside Argentina and Mexico, France is one of only three nations to win all three of their opening games. The team is pursuing its third World Cup title, having previously won in 1998 and 2018.
During Deschamps' absence, assistant coach Guy Stéphan led the team to a 4-1 victory over Norway. "It was somewhat of a shock," midfielder Adrien Rabiot commented. "He completely trusted in us and we delivered in the best way possible. We’re happy that he’s back. I don't think that it’s so easy to have to grieve in these conditions. This is football, and now we have the World Cup, and it is the way it is."
Deschamps, who captained France's 1998 championship squad, took over as coach in 2012. He previously led France to the 2018 World Cup title and the 2022 final, where they lost to Argentina on penalties. Deschamps is aiming to become the second coach in history to win two World Cup titles, following Italy's Vittorio Pozzo in the 1930s.
Rabiot added that Deschamps returned with a strong will to advance in the tournament. "He smiled a lot. He tried to be enthusiastic, although I know that he’s very affected by his grief. I think he’s trying not to show it, not to transmit any negative to the squad."