Ousmane Dembele insisted France stay fully focused on the World Cup, despite Didier Deschamps’ confirmed exit after the tournament. The forward said France want to give Deschamps a strong send-off by returning to the World Cup final, rather than allowing speculation around the long-serving head coach to distract the squad.

Pre-tournament data highlights the scale of that target. The Opta supercomputer gives Deschamps’ side a 13% chance of lifting the World Cup. Only Spain are rated higher, with a 16.1% probability in its simulations, while several other leading nations are grouped closely behind France.

Dembele underlined how firmly the players are concentrating on the tournament itself. “We know it’s the last competition for the coach [Deschamps],” Dembele told ESPN on Saturday. “He’s at a very high level, who has a lot of results with the French team. We’re very happy to have him, of course. We already played the World Cup with him. That’s what we’re essentially focused on. His leaving isn’t really impacting our mentality in this tournament; we want to finish well with him by reaching the World Cup final.”

Dembele explained the personal influence Deschamps has had on the current squad. “He’s a coach who has counted on each of these players in the French team. He sends us congratulations or motivates us after a match. He’s very important to me personally in my career. We’ll try to do well with him as a coach because he deserves it.”

Looking beyond France, Dembele assessed the wider field of contenders. “There are many favourites. We know that Argentina are the reigning World Cup champions, so obviously they are one of the favourites for this competition,” added Dembele. “So is Spain, who won the Euro in 2024. England, Portugal, Germany. There are also very complicated teams, like Brazil, Ecuador, Portugal. It’s a difficult team. There are favourites, but when the matches start, it’s 11 against 11, there are no more favourites. I’ll have to stay focused.”

France have already started preparing on the pitch. Deschamps’ team opened their warm-up schedule with a 2-1 defeat against Ivory Coast. Rayan Cherki put France ahead, but Guela Doue and Amad Diallo both scored in the second half to turn the friendly around and hand Les Bleus an early setback.

France World Cup build-up and Deschamps record

Dembele did not play in that Ivory Coast match. Dembele had recently featured for Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League victory over Arsenal, and the current Ballon d’Or holder was managed carefully during that period. Even so, Dembele stressed that the level of opposition at the World Cup keeps France alert and sharply motivated.

Deschamps’ long spell in charge puts this farewell tournament into context. The coach announced in January that this World Cup would end a 14-year tenure. During that time, Deschamps guided France to the 2018 World Cup title and a runners-up finish in 2022, losing to Argentina on penalties in the final.

France have also lifted another major trophy under Deschamps. Les Bleus claimed the Nations League in 2020-21 as part of a strong overall record. Across all competitions, Deschamps has overseen 178 matches, recording 114 wins, 35 draws and 29 defeats with the national team.

Those achievements frame the start of Deschamps’ final campaign. The next stop on the farewell tour is Stade Pierre-Mauroy, where France face Northern Ireland on Monday in their last home outing before departure. After that fixture, the squad will fly to North America to complete final preparations for the World Cup.

France’s schedule at the tournament itself is already set. Les Bleus will compete in Group I, beginning against Senegal on 16 June. Later in the group stage, France will also meet Iraq and Norway, with progression required to maintain hopes of sending Deschamps out with another global title.

Across the squad, the message from Dembele reflects a clear theme. France recognise Deschamps’ influence and honours, yet insist the focus remains on performance, key warm-up lessons, and a demanding Group I schedule, as they attempt to convert predictive odds into another World Cup-winning campaign.