France will play the final group-stage game without its architect. Their World Cup-winning coach, Didier Deschamps, learned that his mother had passed away on Tuesday morning, while preparing for their most important group-stage match against Norway. In their announcement, the French Football Federation confirmed that Deschamps would return to France for the funeral.

“The national team manager had the pain, this Tuesday morning, of learning of the passing of his mother. He plans to return to France to attend her funeral. We wish the manager and his family courage during this extremely difficult time and assure them of the Federation’s full support,” read the official announcement.

That means he won’t be in the dugout during France‘s final group match against Norway this Friday. He will also miss the two training sessions scheduled before that game. The Federation moved quickly to prepare for his absence. Guy Stephan, the assistant coach, has been entrusted with leading the squad until Deschamps returns.

They revealed they appointed Stephan after consulting with FFF president Philippe Diallo. The Federation added: “At this incredibly painful time, we wish the head coach great strength and assure him of everyone’s support.”

He has been France’s head coach for 14 years, starting in 2012. He led Les Bleus to the 2018 World Cup title in Russia, defeating Croatia in the final. With that victory, he joined a small group of people who have won the World Cup for their country as a player in 1998 and as a coach. Deschamps’ retirement plans make this absence particularly poignant.

Deschamps had already expressed his desire to step down as the national team’s coach ahead of this tournament. “I’ve done my time, with the same desire and passion to maintain France at the highest level but 2026 is [a] very good [time to stop],” he said in January.

With no confirmation of when he’ll return to the United States, the team has to fight to defend its undefeated status without the 57-year-old for now.

Only one unbeaten record will stand when France takes on Norway

So far, France has given their coach little reason to be concerned on the pitch. They won their first two matches, defeating Senegal 3-1 and Iraq 3-0, and have already advanced to the knockout round.

However, Norway has also looked dominant, beating Iraq 4-1 and Senegal 3-2, tying France with 6 points. France vs. Norway decides who tops the group and earns favorable matchups in the knockout stages, and it now arrives without Deschamps at the helm.

Even the teams’ star players are equally matched on paper. Kylian Mbappé has been the driving force behind France’s unblemished start. He scored twice in both the Senegal and Iraq matches and is currently tied for second place in the Golden Boot race.

Norway’s Erling Haaland has also scored a pair of goals each against Iraq and Senegal. So Friday’s match won’t just decide the group topper and who keeps their undefeated record, but also provide a confidence boost.

In fact, winning the game would be huge for France, as it would be a testament to the squad that Didier Deschamps has spent over a decade molding into champions.