World Cup 2026: Deschamps lashes out at the refereeing after France’s elimination against Spain.

The head coach of the French team, Didier Deschamps, did not hide his frustration after the Blues’ defeat against Spain (2-0) on Tuesday, July 14, in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup. At the end of the match, the French coach notably questioned the performance of the referee. Facing a dominant Spain, France quickly found themselves in difficulty. La Roja opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a penalty converted by Mikel Oyarzabal, before Pedro Porro doubled the lead shortly after the break, sealing the qualification of Luis de la Fuente’s men for the final.

The Blues had been warned from the start of the match, with Adrien Rabiot receiving a yellow card in the 9th minute after a foul penalized by referee Ivan Burton. Moments later, Lucas Digne conceded a penalty for an irregular challenge on Lamine Yamal, giving Spain the chance to take the lead. At the final whistle, Didier Deschamps was particularly critical of the refereeing. According to comments relayed by journalist Fabrizio Romano on X, the French coach said: “I have a question… did the referee have the required level to officiate a World Cup semi-final?”

On the field, the statistics illustrate the offensive difficulties of the Blues. For the first time since the start of the tournament, France failed to register a single shot on target in the first half. Unable to truly threaten the Spanish defense, the Blues finished the match with a low total of 0.31 xG (expected goals), according to data from Flashscore. This elimination could also mark the end of an era. Still according to Fabrizio Romano, Didier Deschamps is expected to leave his position as head coach at the end of the World Cup, with Zinedine Zidane tipped to succeed him at the helm of the Blues.