After a few days of waiting following the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, France has a new coach. The French Football Federation (FFF) presented Zinedine Zidane as the new head coach of the national team on Tuesday, a position he will hold for the next four years following the successful tenure of Didier Deschamps.
Visibly emotional during his presentation in Paris, the former Real Madrid coach confessed that leading France was the only challenge on his mind since leaving the sidelines in 2021. "Today is a continuation for me, a dream come true. I received offers to coach a club and turned them all down for the national team. It’s the only thing I wanted to do. I knew it since I was a child," he stated.
The president of the French Federation, Philippe Diallo, was the one to officially announce "Zizou's" arrival and emphasized the importance of the appointment. "This is an exceptional moment because of the person sitting next to me. Zinedine is one of the legends of French football and for many years he said that one of his dreams was to take charge of the national team," he expressed. He also revealed that the first contact to offer him the position occurred in February 2025.
Zidane will take on the challenge of succeeding Deschamps, who remained in charge of the team for 14 years and left a legacy that is hard to match, with the 2018 World Cup title, the runner-up finish in Qatar 2022, and the fourth place in the 2026 World Cup. "I will give everything to ensure this team keeps winning, that’s the only thing that motivates me," assured the newly appointed coach.
When asked about the football identity he aims to instill in the team, he preferred to keep the mystery. "You will soon see my style. We will have a press conference in September," he replied, before adding: "I am passionate about football. I played as a number 10, what motivates me is scoring goals. I lived in Spain for 25 years, you know what that means. On the field, I was a leader. Today I am becoming a leader thanks to my experience."
Zidane alongside Philippe Diallo, president of the FFF
The former footballer was also asked about Kylian Mbappé and clarified that he has not yet had conversations with the French captain. "We haven’t talked. The most important thing for him is to rest. We will have the opportunity to discuss all of this with him and with all the players soon," he noted.
Thus, at the age of 54, Zidane returns to coaching after nearly five seasons of inactivity. His last experience was at Real Madrid, where he built one of the most successful eras in the club's history. His official debut in charge of the French national team will be on September 25, when the team debuts in the UEFA Nations League against Turkey. In the coming days, the rest of his coaching staff will also be announced, which will be presented by the Federation along with the first call-up for this new stage.
Zidane's numbers as a coach
In his two terms as head coach of Real Madrid (early 2016 to mid-2018 and early 2019 to mid-2021), Zizou managed 263 matches, with a record of 174 wins, 53 draws, and 36 losses, with a total of 605 goals scored and 267 conceded. In terms of titles, the Frenchman won 11: 3 Champions League (2015/16, 2016/2017, and 2017/2018), 2 La Liga titles (2016/17 and 2019/20), 2 Club World Cups (2016 and 2017), 2 UEFA Super Cups (2016 and 2017), and 2 Spanish Super Cups (2017 and 2020).
