France’s manager Deschamps: Not much coherence in 2030 World Cup

Didier Deschamps, manager of France, has questioned that the form of the 2030 FIFA World Cup violates the “sporting and ethical” coherence of the tournament.

The World Cup in 2030 will be hosted by three countries: Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Meanwhile, as a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the tournament, some of the games will take place in Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina, making it the first World Cup that will happen in three continents.

“Beyond the fact that it’s a trend, organizing [tournaments] over multiple countries, there is also the distinctive aspect of three matches being held on the continent of South America,” Deschamps said in an press conference this week. “I don’t know which countries will be involved, it will mean that the South American countries will be at an advantage and then the other countries will have to move then move again.”

France won the World Cup title in Russia in 2018 by beating Croatia in a controversial final, but they failed to defend the honor in Qatar in 2022 after losing to Argentina in a penalty shoot-out.

“I don’t know who makes the decisions, but I won’t hide from you the fact that I like things that are more coherent on a sporting and ethical level,” Deschamps said. “I don’t think there is much coherence there.”

France are currently qualifying for the 2024 UEFA European Championship tournament. They lead Group B with five wins. The team will play the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Friday. If Les Bleus win, they will secure a berth in Euro 2024 with two games to go. If France get a draw with the Netherlands while Greece lose to Ireland, France will still qualify for the Euros.

Three years ago in the Euros, which was held across the continent, France were knocked out by Switzerland by penalties in the Round of 16.