Didier Deschamps left the France camp in Boston on Tuesday morning, hours after a 3-0 victory over Iraq had sealed a place in the knockout rounds, to attend his mother’s funeral in the Basque Country. The news, delivered in a private meeting with his assistant Guy Stéphan, has thrust the 69-year-old into the role of caretaker for Friday’s Group I finale against Norway at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. It is a grim echo of 2022, when Stéphan also took charge of a Nations League fixture following the death of Deschamps’ father. “This is a cruel situation for Didier and his family,” Stéphan told reporters, “and so we need to just get through the third match.”

The squad, still absorbing the shock, has rallied around a simple objective. “Our objective is to make him as proud as possible,” midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni said from the team’s training base near Boston. Stéphan, who has been at Deschamps’ side since their days at Olympique Marseille in 2009, described a team “deeply affected” but determined to render a difficult situation as normal as possible. The players, he said, had been in constant contact with their absent manager, who will be reachable only sporadically on the day of the match.

On the pitch, the arithmetic is straightforward. France and Norway both have six points from two games and are already through to the round of 32. Les Bleus’ superior goal difference means a draw will secure first place in the group, sending them to New Jersey on 30 June to face a third-placed side, while the runners-up must travel to Dallas to meet the second-placed team from Group E. Viewed from the French camp, the preference for a less disruptive itinerary is clear, but the emotional imperative to win for Deschamps has overshadowed mere travel considerations.

Stéphan confirmed that Arsenal centre-back William Saliba will miss the match with a back injury, with Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix expected to start in his place. Further rotation is likely on both sides, though the French coaching staff have stressed that the usual end-of-group-stage relaxation will not be tolerated. “The first place is the best,” Stéphan said, citing both logistics and the need to maintain momentum.

The match unfolds against the backdrop of Deschamps’ long goodbye. He has already announced he will step down after the tournament, ending a 14-year reign that brought the 2018 World Cup title and the 2022 final. Zinedine Zidane is widely expected to succeed him. For now, the focus remains on a single evening in Massachusetts, where a team playing for its grieving coach will seek to close the group stage with a performance that honours his legacy. Deschamps is due back on Saturday, when the knockout phase begins.