Zinedine Zidane Set to Lead France National Team

Zinedine Zidane’s France coronation is finally on the clock.

After years of speculation and a five-year absence from the touchline, the French Football Federation has set the date that should seal one of the most anticipated appointments in modern international football.

Deschamps era closes, Zidane era looms

On Thursday, the federation confirmed it will hold a press conference on Tuesday 28 July 2026 at its headquarters, starting at 11am, with president Philippe Diallo front and centre to present the new head coach of Les Bleus. Didier Deschamps steps aside after 14 years in charge, an extraordinary tenure that reshaped the modern identity of the national team.

There will be no farewell ceremony, no drawn‑out goodbye. Deschamps’ departure is handled with a brisk finality. The stage is being cleared, not decorated. The spotlight moves immediately to the successor everyone has been waiting for.

The FFF’s statement did not name Zinedine Zidane, but the identity of the incoming coach is football’s worst‑kept secret. Several well‑sourced reports in France have already installed him as Deschamps’ replacement, and the date of the announcement matches what local newspapers revealed on Wednesday evening.

An extraordinary meeting of the executive committee will take place earlier that same day. Once it concludes, the new coach will be presented to the media. Barring a late twist, that man is Zidane.

Zidane’s long wait for Les Bleus

For Zidane, this is not just another job. It is the job he has been quietly orbiting since he walked away from Real Madrid in June 2021.

He has turned down offer after offer in the interim, from club giants and ambitious projects alike, choosing patience over convenience. The reason was always clear: he wanted France. The country he illuminated as a player. The shirt he carried to the 1998 World Cup title alongside Deschamps, then captain, now predecessor.

That long‑running link is finally reaching its conclusion. According to reports, Zidane has already reached a full agreement with the federation. Only the final touches to his backroom staff remain before he officially takes charge.

Even French politics has bent to accommodate him. Recent parliamentary reforms on salary caps will not apply to Zidane, who has secured a special exemption from the relevant government authorities. The message is unmistakable: France wants Zizou, and it is prepared to clear the path.

A brutal first test

There will be no gentle easing‑in period, no friendly curtain‑raisers to find his feet. Zidane’s first steps as France coach come straight into the heat of the UEFA Nations League, with a run of fixtures that reads like a mini‑tournament.

The adventure begins on 25 September with an away trip to Turkey, a notoriously hostile environment for visiting teams. Three days later, on 28 September, France head to Belgium to face one of Europe’s most technically gifted sides.

Then comes the night that will define the early mood of the new era.

On 2 October, Zidane walks out at the Stade de France for his first home match in charge, against Italy. The fixture already carries weight given his five years as a player at Juventus, where he became a global star. The emotional charge could intensify further if the reports linking Deschamps with the Italian national team materialise. Zidane on the France bench, Deschamps potentially on the opposite side one day: the symbolism writes itself.

The schedule barely relents. France host Belgium on 5 October in Paris, then travel to Italy on 12 November, before closing the group stage at home to Turkey on 15 November.

The road ahead

Under Zidane, France’s UEFA Nations League calendar is set:

• Turkey v France – 25 September
• Belgium v France – 28 September
• France v Italy – 2 October
• France v Belgium – 5 October
• Italy v France – 12 November
• France v Turkey – 15 November

For a coach returning after five years away, it is a fiery reintroduction. For France, it is the start of a new chapter under a legend who now has to prove, once again, that he can turn aura into trophies on the biggest stage of all.