Domenech bets his retirement on USA reaching 2026 World Cup final

Raymond Domenech put his future as a pundit on the line on Thursday, stating he would retire if the United States reached the final of the 2026 World Cup hosted on their soil.

The 74-year-old commentator was speaking to discuss the arrival of Didier Deschamps’ France squad in Boston, five days before the French team’s entry into the tournament. As a journalist reporting from the United States highlighted the need to watch the North American selection, Domenech said: “If the United States are world champions or at least finalists, I’m retiring.”

The statement is amusing given how risk-free the bet appears. While the United States finished third in the very first World Cup edition in 1930, they have never come close to that level again. In their eight subsequent participations, they reached the quarter-finals only once, in 2002. They have, however, secured four qualifications for the round of 16, the most recent being in Qatar in 2022.

For Domenech to hang up his microphone for good, the selection coached by Mauricio Pochettino would need to pull off one of the greatest feats in world football history. For now, the suspense remains.