Kylian Mbappé's Mission: Win the World Cup for Deschamps
Kylian Mbappé doesn’t just want to win this World Cup for France. He wants to win it for Didier Deschamps – and then make sure his coach never turns up in the opposite dugout.
Deschamps is heading into his final tournament in charge of Les Bleus, his long reign set to end after the 2026 World Cup. What comes next, he refuses to reveal. The 55-year-old has been deliberately vague about his future, keeping every door open: a return to club football, another national team, or something entirely different.
Mbappé is trying to slam at least one of those doors shut.
Mbappé’s mission: win for Deschamps – and keep him out of Italy
Inside the France camp, the captain has made no secret of his desire to shape his manager’s next move. He admitted he has been vocal, even insistent, about what Deschamps should do once his time with the national team is over.
Speaking to M6, Mbappé laid out the emotional stakes with typical directness. “The best way to pay tribute to him is to win because he loves to win. We're going to make sure he has the best of the recent World Cups. Hopefully, it will be his last because I hope he doesn't play for another team.”
Then came the confession, stripped of any diplomacy: “I'm putting pressure on him.”
It is not just any hypothetical job that worries Mbappé. One scenario in particular makes him wince.
Deschamps has long been linked with the Italy role, a natural rumor given his history at Juventus as both player and coach and his deep roots in Italian football. The Azzurri, scarred by missed World Cups and years of turbulence, are searching for a figure with authority, experience and a proven tournament record. On paper, Deschamps fits that brief perfectly.
Mbappé hates the idea.
Asked directly about talk of Deschamps to Italy, the France captain didn’t bother with polite evasions. “They said Italy, that would be awful,” he said.
You could hear the subtext: mentor, yes. Opponent, no.
One last World Cup together
For now, the future can wait. Deschamps and Mbappé are locked into one final shared objective: reclaiming the world title and closing this era with a flourish.
France came agonisingly close in 2022, losing a dramatic final to Argentina. That defeat still lingers around this group, shaping their hunger and their standards. This time, the mission carries an extra layer – a farewell tour for a coach who has defined a generation of French football.
The 2026 World Cup will be Deschamps’ last dance with Les Bleus. Only once that journey ends will he decide what comes next. Before any contract offers or federation pitches, he has to navigate one more campaign, one more dressing room, one more run through the pressure cooker of a major tournament.
The path begins with Group I. France open against Senegal on June 16, a tricky, physical test to set the tone. Iraq follow on June 22, a match France will be expected to control but cannot afford to treat lightly. Four days later, they close the group against Norway, a fixture that could decide not just top spot, but the mood of the entire campaign.
By then, the questions around Deschamps’ future will only grow louder. The Italian links will resurface. Other nations and clubs may circle. Mbappé will keep pushing, keep talking, keep “putting pressure on him.”
And somewhere down the line, Deschamps will have to choose: another bench, another anthem, another set of colours – or the quiet satisfaction of walking away without ever facing the team, and the captain, he helped to build.
