A win over Norway on Saturday would set a new all-time record

France head coach Didier Deschamps waves to cheering fans after his side's 3-0 victory over Iraq at the 2026 North America World Cup on Tuesday. [AFP]
France head coach Didier Deschamps waves to cheering fans after his side's 3-0 victory over Iraq at the 2026 North America World Cup on Tuesday. [AFP]

France head coach Didier Deschamps, 58, has tied the all-time record for most wins by a manager at the FIFA World Cup, reaching 16 victories at the 2026 North America tournament.

France routed Iraq 3-0 on Tuesday in their Group I second-round match at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice and Ousmane Dembele adding a third.

The victory gave Deschamps his second win of the tournament and his 16th overall at World Cups — a record of 16 wins, three draws and two losses — drawing level with Helmut Schoen.

Schoen led West Germany at the 1966 England, 1970 Mexico, 1974 West Germany and 1978 Argentina World Cups, claiming one title, one runner-up finish and one third-place result. Across 25 matches, he posted a record of 16 wins, five draws and four losses to set the all-time mark for most World Cup wins by a coach.

Deschamps now has a strong chance of breaking that 48-year-old record at this tournament. France, who have secured a place in the round of 32 with back-to-back wins, face Norway in their final group-stage match on Saturday. A victory there would give Deschamps 17 career World Cup wins and a new record outright.

Deschamps has managed the French national team since 2012 and has appeared at the 2014 Brazil, 2018 Russia, 2022 Qatar and 2026 North America World Cups. Through Tuesday's match against Iraq, he has won 16 of 21 World Cup games, a win rate of 76.2 percent.

Under Deschamps, France won the 2018 Russia World Cup and reached the final of the 2022 Qatar edition, where they lost to Argentina on penalty kicks.


yjc@heraldcorp.com