After years of waiting, Zinédine Zidane will officially take charge of the France national team. The 1998 World Cup champion is to be presented this Tuesday at 11 a.m. during a press conference organized by the French Football Federation. He succeeds Didier Deschamps, whose fourteen-year reign ended after the 2026 World Cup.
A highly anticipated presentation this Tuesday morning
The French Football Federation has summoned the press to present the new coach of Les Bleus. Although Zinédine Zidane’s name did not appear in the statement announcing this event, his arrival is no longer in doubt. The FFF president, Philippe Diallo, is expected to officially confirm his appointment and reveal the initial details of his assumption of duties. This press conference will allow Zidane to deliver his first words as head of the France team. The exact length of his contract, the composition of his staff, and the main lines of his sporting project are also expected to be specified. His contract is set to officially begin on September 1. The new coach will thus have a few weeks to prepare his arrival at Clairefontaine, engage with the team leaders, and finalize his first squad list.
Zidane resumes his story with Les Bleus
For Zinédine Zidane, this appointment has a special significance. His legend remains inseparable from the France national team. Wearing the blue jersey, the playmaker earned 108 caps and scored 31 goals. He won the 1998 World Cup, scoring two goals in the final against Brazil and becoming one of the main faces of France’s first world title. Two years later, he again led Les Bleus to the European Championship title. After initially retiring from international football in 2004, he returned in 2005 to help France qualify for the 2006 World Cup. He ended his playing career after the final lost to Italy in Berlin. Twenty years after his last match with Les Bleus, Zidane thus returns to the France team in a completely different role. He no longer wears the number 10 or the captain’s armband: he becomes the one who selects the players, prepares the matches, and takes responsibility for the results.
A return to the bench after 5 years away
Zinédine Zidane has not coached since leaving Real Madrid in May 2021. During his two spells at the Spanish club, between 2016 and 2018 and then between 2019 and 2021, he built an exceptional record. Notably, he won three consecutive Champions League titles in 2016, 2017, and 2018, a feat never achieved since the creation of the modern competition format. His Madrid record includes eleven trophies, including two La Liga titles, two Club World Cups, and two UEFA Super Cups. Since leaving Madrid, Zidane had been waiting for a coaching position. His name was regularly linked to several major clubs and various national teams, without any project materializing. The announced end of Didier Deschamps’ mandate after the 2026 World Cup finally opened the way for him.
Didier Deschamps stayed 14 years, a record
Zidane takes over a team that has been under Didier Deschamps’ leadership for 14 years, a record. Appointed in 2012, the former captain of the 1998 world champions managed 185 matches with 120 wins, 35 draws, and 30 losses. Deschamps won the 2018 World Cup and the 2021 Nations League. He also reached the finals of Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup. His last tournament ended with a fourth place at the 2026 World Cup, after a defeat against Spain in the semi-finals and a dramatic loss to England in the third-place match. The coaching change thus marks a historic break. Since 1998, Deschamps and Zidane have represented two central figures in the greatest successes of French football. After sharing the field and winning the World Cup and Euro together, they now succeed each other at the helm of Les Bleus.
David Bettoni expected in the new staff
Part of Zinédine Zidane’s staff should be presented alongside him. David Bettoni, his loyal assistant at Real Madrid, is announced to be by his side. Hamidou Msaidie, who also worked with him in Spain, is expected to join the staff. Grégory Dupont is considered likely to resume a role in physical preparation, while Stéphane Planque could join the player scouting unit. Doctor Hervé Collado is also announced to lead the medical sector. The exact responsibilities of each are to be confirmed during the presentation.
Debut in Turkey on September 25
Zinédine Zidane’s first mission will be the Nations League. Les Bleus will start their campaign with an away match in Turkey on Friday, September 25. Three days later, they will face Belgium in Brussels. France will then return to Stade de France on October 2 against Italy, before hosting Belgium again on October 5. Four matches will thus be played in just ten days to launch the new coach’s tenure. Zidane will inherit a group led by Kylian Mbappé and composed of many players already established at the highest European level. His first squad list will reveal his choices, the leaders he wishes to rely on, and any new faces called up to open this new era.
A legend facing the challenge of Les Bleus’ bench
Zinédine Zidane has already won everything with the France team as a player. He must now try to extend this story as coach. His presentation this Tuesday officially opens one of the most anticipated chapters in French football. After five years away from the bench and twenty years after his last appearance in the blue jersey, Zidane finally returns to Clairefontaine. The former number 10 becomes the boss of Les Bleus with a first deadline in September and a huge challenge: to transform his legendary past into a new victorious era for the France team.
