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Zidane takes over
Zinedine Zidane was named France head coach on Tuesday, succeeding Didier Deschamps after a 14-year run in charge of Les Bleus.
“France great Zinedine Zidane’s long-held ambition to coach the national team became reality on Tuesday when the French Football Federation appointed the former captain and World Cup winner as Didier Deschamps’ successor on a four-year contract”
The French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo confirmed the appointment at the federation’s headquarters in Paris, saying Zidane had signed a four-year contract.
Zidane, who is 54, told reporters, “I’ve often said it: there’s nothing greater than the French national team,” as he described the role as “a joy and obviously a great source of pride.”
Diallo said talks with Zidane began in February 2025, the month after Deschamps announced he would step down this summer, and the unveiling followed the FFF’s executive committee confirming the appointment.
The Guardian reported that roads around the French Football Federation headquarters in Paris were closed off for Zidane’s unveiling, with more than a hundred journalists and TV cameras ushered into the building.
First words, first matches
At his unveiling at the French Football Federation headquarters in Paris, Zidane said, “For me it’s a continuity, a dream,” and described turning down offers during the five years away from coaching.
Diallo called the hiring “an exceptional moment, exceptional because of the person sat next to me,” and said Zidane “is one of the legends of French soccer.”
Zidane sidestepped a question about whether Kylian Mbappé would retain the armband, insisting that he would have to meet the team and its “extraordinary players” first of all.
His first match in charge will be in Turkey on 25 September in the UEFA Nations League, and his homecoming will be against Italy at the Stade de France just over 20 years after his dramatic exit from the international stage.
Al Jazeera said Zidane was expected to begin his reign with an away UEFA Nations League game against Turkiye before France host Italy at the Stade de France on October 2.
Contract to 2030
Zidane’s four-year contract will run until the 2030 World Cup, co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with his extended staff to be unveiled a few weeks before the first internationals of the new season.
“In September, the France national team will have a new face on the touchline for the first time in 14 years”
The Guardian said Zidane’s homecoming would be against Italy, and it framed the appointment as a long-awaited return after Didier Deschamps’ 14-year tenure.
RFI reported that Zidane will replace Deschamps, whose tenure began in 2012 and ended earlier this month after France finished fourth at the World Cup, and it noted Deschamps’ 2018 World Cup glory.
El País reported that Diallo confirmed Zidane would take the reins a partir de este 1 de agosto hasta 2030, and it said Zidane’s first message at the press conference was for the firefighters and people affected by the catástrofe in Gironda.
UPI added that France will take on No. 27 Turkey in Nations League play Sept. 25 in Izmit, Turkey, and that Zidane’s first match at home will be against Italy on 2 October at the Stade de France.
