Zidane's First France Squad: A Bold New Era Begins

Zinedine Zidane walked into FFF headquarters in Paris and made it clear within minutes: this is his France now.

The new head coach, successor to Didier Deschamps after a 12-year reign, unveiled his first 23-man squad and immediately underlined a generational shift. No half-measures, no sentimental calls. A tighter group, a younger core, and several new faces thrown straight into the deep end.

Jeremy Jacquet, Andy Diouf, Lucas Da Cunha, Guillaume Restes and Esteban Lepaul have all received their first senior call-ups. On Monday, they will report directly to Clairefontaine, where Zidane plans to start shaping the next version of Les Bleus.

A compact squad, a clear idea

Zidane has deliberately kept the group small: 23 players, not a body more.

The message is obvious. Everyone trains, everyone competes, everyone counts. No passengers for this international window, which crams four fixtures into ten days.

Facing the press, Zidane went beyond the usual coach-speak. He broke down his choices, line by line, role by role, stressing form, potential and how each player fits into the style he wants.

What drives him? The game itself.

“They are players who deserve to be here, players I want to see,” he said. “What inspires me is the game. I want to see these players and this team playing.”

Jacquet, now at Liverpool, sits at the heart of that vision. Zidane knows him well, and not just from television. “I like Jacquet's profile a lot. I've followed him for a long time because he played alongside my son in the youth teams,” he explained, underlining a long-standing familiarity rather than a hasty pick.

He also singled out Inter Milan midfielder Diouf and Como’s Lucas Da Cunha, two names that underline his willingness to trust those thriving away from the traditional giants of French football.

No Kante, no Benzema – and a ruthless logic

The most striking absences are just as revealing as the inclusions.

N'Golo Kante and Karim Benzema, both World Cup winners and pillars of the Deschamps era at different times, are out. Not forgotten, but firmly placed in the past as Zidane turns to the future.

He framed it in blunt football terms, not emotion.

“Choosing Andy Diouf and Truffert is a strong choice. They are capable of playing in this position,” Zidane said, referring to the recall of Adrien Truffert to reinforce the flanks alongside Diouf.

Then came the pivot to the veterans.

“N'Golo is 35 and I have made choices, which are different. I adore Karim, but he's a certain age. I need to see younger players and what we will do together.”

No farewell tour. No honorary spots. Zidane wants players who can execute his tactical demands at full intensity over the coming cycle. Age is not a crime, but it is now a decisive factor.

Versatility also sits at the core of his thinking. He highlighted flexibility in central midfield and full-back areas, hinting at systems that will rely on players who can slide between roles as the game shifts.

A brutal schedule to launch the project

There will be no gentle warm-up for this new-look France.

Across ten days, Les Bleus will play four times. It starts with a trip to Izmir to face Turkey on Friday, September 25, then on to Brussels to meet Belgium on September 28.

After that, France come home to Saint-Denis for back-to-back matches: Italy on October 2, Belgium again on October 5.

It is a schedule that will test not just legs, but ideas. Rotations will be unavoidable. So will quick tactical adjustments. For Zidane, it is both a risk and an opportunity: barely any training time, but a flood of information on who can adapt, who can handle the pace, and who fits his long-term plan.

Mbappé stays captain as foundations are laid

Amid the changes, one symbol of continuity remains. Kylian Mbappé keeps the armband.

With a new coach, a refreshed squad and a punishing run of games, the France captain becomes the bridge between eras. Zidane wants to build an attractive, proactive side around this new generation, and Mbappé stands at the centre of that ambition.

The first list has been published. The veterans have their answer. The debutants have their chance.

Now comes the real test: can Zidane’s bold reset turn this talent pool into a team that looks, and plays, like his own?