Overview
- The French Football Federation formally announced Zidane as Didier Deschamps’s successor on Tuesday, July 28, with the coach signing a four-year deal that runs to the 2030 World Cup.
- Zidane’s contract begins on August 1 and his first competitive matches are UEFA Nations League fixtures starting with an away game against Turkey on September 25 followed by matches with Belgium and a home debut versus Italy.
- Zidane has not managed since leaving Real Madrid in 2021 and arrives with an elite club record that includes three consecutive Champions League titles with Real Madrid.
- At his unveiling Zidane said he wants a more attacking, possession-led France and has spoken of using a traditional No. 10 role; the FFF expects him to name his backroom staff in September.
- He inherits a generation of world-class attacking players such as Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise and will be charged with preparing Les Bleus as favourites for Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup after Deschamps’s 14-year tenure ended.