Overview
- Zidane announced on Sept. 18 a compact 23-player group that includes five uncapped call-ups: goalkeeper Guillaume Restes, defender Jeremy Jacquet, full-back prospect Andy Diouf, midfielder Lucas Da Cunha, and striker Esteban Lepaul.
- The coach kept Kylian Mbappé as captain and explicitly ruled out recalls for Karim Benzema while saying N'Golo Kanté's France career has been turned over to younger players.
- Zidane deliberately limited the squad to 23 players so every member would be actively involved rather than sitting unused during the international window.
- The coach has already signalled tactical changes by planning to use Diouf as a left-back, recalling Adrien Truffert for depth at full-back, and selecting Jacquet after his strong start at Liverpool, while Aurelien Tchouameni was left out for recent physical reasons.
- France will play four Nations League matches between Sept. 25 and Oct. 5 and those compressed fixtures will provide Zidane with the first concrete tests to evaluate his personnel choices and shape the cycle toward Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup.