A deep sense of off-pitch friction clouded France’s final Group I fixture at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after football's global governing body officially rejected a request from the French Football Federation (FFF). The French camp had sought urgent approval for players to wear black armbands during their clash against Norway at Gillette Stadium as a collective tribute to head coach Didier Deschamps' mother, Ginette Deschamps, who passed away earlier this week.
