Zidane takes charge of France: he rejected clubs for years while waiting for his dream job
Zinédine Zidane was officially appointed the new head coach of the French men's national football team on July 28, 2026, bringing to an end one of the longest-awaited coaching appointments in European football. The French Football Federation announced that the 54-year-old former captain had signed a four-year contract, running until the end of the 2030 World Cup. The decision was confirmed following a meeting of the Federation's Executive Committee, and Zidane will officially assume his duties on August 1. He succeeds Didier Deschamps on the bench, whose exceptionally successful tenure ended after 14 years and France's fourth-place finish at the 2026 World Cup. For Zidane, this is his first coaching job since leaving Real Madrid in May 2021.
French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo presented Zidane in Paris as the 18th head coach in the national team's history since the establishment of the modern role in 1964. The Federation described his arrival as the meeting of one of the greatest legends of French football with a national team possessing rarely seen playing potential. Zidane said that taking charge of the national team represented joy, pride and great responsibility for him at the same time. He thanked the Federation's officials for their trust, paid tribute to Deschamps and his staff, and stressed that he was entering the new job with great ambitions. The contract covers the 2026/27 Nations League, qualification for the 2028 European Championship, the following edition of the Nations League, and the qualifying campaign and finals of the 2030 World Cup.
The national team was the only job he wanted
The most striking part of Zidane's presentation concerned his five-year absence from the bench. According to Reuters' report from the press conference, the former Real Madrid coach said that the French national team was the only side he had wanted to manage after leaving the Spanish club. He explained that over the years he had watched the team and thought about it from the perspective of a future national coach, which was why he had not accepted the club positions offered to him. He did not name all the clubs that had contacted him, but he made it clear that his break had not been the result of a lack of opportunities. It was a deliberate decision to remain available for the role he had described for years as the pinnacle of his coaching career.
Zidane added that after Deschamps' announcement in January 2025, when the then head coach confirmed that he would leave after the 2026 World Cup, he immediately knew that he wanted to be his successor. According to him, talks with the Federation president then led to the agreement that has now been officially confirmed. Such a development is consistent with his earlier public statements: as far back as 2012, he said that he wanted to return to the national team one day as a coach, and he repeated the same message in the years after his first departure from Madrid. His wait was therefore not a short-term tactical decision, but a long-standing professional plan. With the appointment, he has secured a job to which he has been emotionally and professionally connected since his playing days.
Return to the bench after five years
Zidane's last coaching spell ended in 2021 after his second tenure at Real Madrid. He took charge of the Spanish giant's first team in January 2016 and, in less than two and a half years, achieved a result that no coach before him had managed to repeat consecutively: he won three successive Champions League titles, in 2016, 2017 and 2018. UEFA states that he became the first coach to win the European title three times in a row since the European Cup began in 1956. After his first departure, he returned to Madrid in March 2019 and won another Spanish league title during his second spell.
According to Real Madrid's official records, Zidane won a total of 11 trophies as the club's coach: three Champions League titles, two Club World Cups, two UEFA Super Cups, two Spanish league titles and two Spanish Super Cups. That record built his reputation as a specialist who knows how to manage a dressing room full of the biggest stars, maintain competitive focus and make decisions under enormous pressure. At the same time, the job of a national coach differs from daily work at a club because it offers fewer training sessions, shorter preparations and considerably less time to develop a system. Zidane will therefore have to transfer the methods that worked in Madrid into an environment in which the team gathers only several times a year. Adapting to that rhythm will be one of the first indicators of how successfully his achievements in club football can be translated into the international game.
Symbol of the generation that took France to the top
Zidane returns to the French national team as one of the most important players in its history. He made 108 appearances and scored 31 goals for the national side, winning the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship with it. In the 1998 World Cup final against Brazil, he scored two headed goals and became the central figure in France's first world title. That same year, he won the Ballon d'Or, and eight years later he led France to the 2006 World Cup final. His authority as a player in France far exceeds the statistics because for decades he has remained a symbol of technical elegance, creativity and national-team identity.
The new role further connects the two most successful eras of French football. Zidane and Deschamps were teammates in the side that won the world title in 1998 and then the European Championship in 2000. Deschamps later won the 2018 World Cup as head coach, while Zidane now receives the opportunity to continue a cycle in which France has almost continuously belonged among the leading contenders for the biggest trophies. His legendary status may make it easier to establish authority, but it also increases the expectations of the public and the Federation. The new head coach will be expected to deliver not only stability, but also a recognisable style of football and titles.
Deschamps left a record-breaking, trophy-laden legacy
Didier Deschamps ended his tenure as France's longest-serving and statistically most successful head coach. According to data from the French Football Federation, he managed the national team in 185 matches, recording 120 wins, 35 draws and 30 defeats. He won the 2018 World Cup and the 2021 Nations League, while also leading France to the final of the 2016 European Championship and the 2022 World Cup. His 14 years on the bench were marked by exceptional continuity at major tournaments, alongside several generational changes and consistently high expectations. Zidane is therefore not taking over a team in a state of total collapse, but a stable national side accustomed to reaching the closing stages of the biggest competitions.
Deschamps' final tournament nevertheless ended in disappointment compared with the initial ambitions. France reached the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup, where it lost 2-0 to Spain, and was then defeated 6-4 by England in the third-place match in Miami. FIFA described the encounter as an unusual ten-goal match in which England led 4-0 at halftime before a strong French comeback in the second half. Fourth place did not alter Deschamps' historical importance, but it highlighted questions about defensive balance and how to use the team's immense attacking potential. The new head coach inherits a high-quality foundation, but also a clear task to lead the team back to trophies.
How to fit Mbappé and the new generation of attackers together
Zidane takes over a national team whose squad combines established global stars with players who are only now entering the prime years of their careers. Captain Kylian Mbappé remains the team's central figure, while Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola, Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki are part of a broad group of creative and fast attackers. In midfield, France has players such as Aurélien Tchouaméni, Manu Koné and Warren Zaïre-Emery, while the defensive line includes footballers with experience in the biggest European matches. Such depth enables the use of multiple systems and different attacking combinations, but at the same time forces the head coach to make difficult decisions regarding hierarchy and balance. Zidane will have to determine how many attackers he can use simultaneously without undermining control of the match.
Particular attention will be paid to his relationship with Mbappé, not only because of the captain's armband but also because of how Zidane will build the team's play around his speed and finishing. The two have publicly expressed mutual respect for years, but working with the national team will require a clear distribution of responsibilities throughout the entire squad. At his presentation, Zidane said that, as a former player in the number ten position, he was driven by play and scoring goals, but he did not reveal his tactical formation in advance. He stressed that his style would be visible on the pitch, suggesting that he wants to avoid making grand promises before the first training camp. The opening matches will show whether France under his leadership will play with more possession and creative freedom or retain some of the pragmatic structure from the Deschamps era.
The coaching staff has not yet been announced
The French Football Federation confirmed that Zidane would announce the composition of his coaching staff at the beginning of September. Until then, there will be no official confirmation of the names of the assistants, fitness coaches and other team members who will work with him at Clairefontaine and during national-team gatherings. French media have mentioned the possibility of the return of colleagues from his time at Real Madrid, but the Federation did not confirm such a scenario at the time of his appointment. The selection of the staff will be important because the new head coach will have very little time between the first training camp and the start of competitive matches. In international football, an effective division of responsibilities is often crucial for analysing opponents, preparing set pieces, physical recovery and individual communication with players.
Zidane will also have to establish a relationship with the Federation's existing structure and the people who worked alongside Deschamps for years. Continuity can help during the transition period, particularly when it comes to logistics, medical protocols and monitoring a large number of candidates across different leagues. On the other hand, the new head coach has the right to introduce his own methods and trusted colleagues. The balance between change and retaining the functional parts of the previous system could define the first months of his tenure. Zidane announced that he wanted to ensure the continuity of a winning culture, but the final shape of his project will become clearer only after the staff is announced and the first squad list is published.
First test in Turkey, followed by clashes with Belgium and Italy
Zidane will not have to wait long for his competitive debut. France will open the new Nations League season away to Turkey on September 25, 2026, and will play in Belgium three days later. The new head coach's first home match is scheduled for October 2 against Italy at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, while another meeting with Belgium will follow at the same stadium on October 5. France will conclude the group stage on November 12 in Italy and on November 15 against Turkey in Bordeaux. It is a demanding League A Group 1 in which every match will bring serious pressure to deliver results from the outset.
The first cycle will be particularly sensitive because Zidane will have only a few training sessions in which to introduce his ideas. He will have to decide quickly whether to change the system immediately or use the initial phase for a gradual adjustment. The Nations League results will not only decide qualification for the competition's final stage, but will also shape the atmosphere ahead of qualification for the 2028 European Championship. The draw for those qualifiers will take place in Belfast on December 6, 2026, with the matches scheduled between March and November 2027. The Federation has clearly established a long-term framework through the contract, but the public assessment of Zidane's work will begin during the first international window.
A great name, but also a job with no grace period
Zidane's appointment carries powerful symbolism, but his tenure will be evaluated according to results. As a player, he won the biggest trophies with France, and as a coach he proved himself at a club with one of the most demanding sporting environments in the world. He is now taking charge of a national team for the first time and entering a job in which there is no transfer window, no daily training and no possibility of bringing in players during the season according to his own requirements. He will depend on the form and fitness of footballers playing for different clubs, as well as his ability to create a clear competitive structure within a matter of days. That is precisely why reputation and communication may be just as important as tactical ideas.
France is entering a new era without the need for a complete rebuild, but with a need for fresh impetus following the end of Deschamps' record-breaking era. Zidane rejected club offers for years to await this moment, and he now has four years to prepare the team for the 2030 World Cup. In between lie the Nations League, Euro 2028 and qualifying campaigns that will not allow for a prolonged adjustment period. His arrival is therefore not merely the return of a national icon, but the beginning of a project expected to turn a talented generation into winners of new trophies. The first answers will come in the autumn of 2026, when Zidane will stand on the touchline again after five years.
Sources:
- French Football Federation – official confirmation of the appointment, contract duration, date of assuming duties and match schedule (link)
- Reuters / CNA – statements by Zinédine Zidane at his presentation, reasons for rejecting club offers and data on Deschamps' tenure (link)
- FIFA – confirmation of Zidane's appointment and an overview of the French national team following the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – report and official data on the France–England third-place match at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- French Football Federation – statistical overview of Didier Deschamps' 14-year tenure (link)
- Real Madrid – official overview of Zidane's playing and coaching career and the trophies he won (link)
- UEFA – data on Zidane's record run of three consecutive Champions League titles (link)