Zidane Takes Charge of France: A New Era Begins

The wait is almost over. The French Football Federation has set the date that should confirm what the country has been whispering, debating, and dreaming about for years: Zinedine Zidane is on the verge of taking charge of Les Bleus.

On Thursday, the federation announced a press conference for Tuesday 28 July 2026 at its headquarters, starting at 11am. President Philippe Diallo will front the media to unveil France’s new head coach, following an extraordinary executive committee meeting earlier that day.

Didier Deschamps is out. Zidane, according to a raft of consistent and reliable reports, is in.

No farewell lap for Deschamps

There will be no grand goodbye, no testimonial-style send-off for the man who steered France for 14 years, lifting the World Cup in 2018 and reaching two more major finals. His tenure simply stops; the page turns without ceremony.

It is a stark ending for one of the longest and most successful reigns in international football. But it also underlines the urgency and clarity of the federation’s next step. The Deschamps era closes, and immediately the spotlight swings to the man who once defined French football on the pitch and now prepares to redefine it from the touchline.

Zidane returns after five-year pause

Zidane has not coached since walking away from Real Madrid in June 2021. He could have gone almost anywhere. Elite clubs called. National teams sounded him out. He waited.

He waited for this.

For years, his name has hovered over the France job, the obvious heir to Deschamps, his former teammate in that iconic 1998 World Cup-winning side. Now the long courtship is reaching its conclusion. The agreement with the federation is in place; only the final touches to his backroom staff remain before he officially begins.

A recent reform by the French parliament on salary caps threatened to complicate the appointment of a coach of Zidane’s stature. It hasn’t. The government has granted him a special exemption, clearing the final political hurdle and confirming just how determined the authorities are to put him in charge.

No gentle introduction

If Zidane hoped for a soft landing, the calendar has other ideas. His first international window, stretching from late September into October, reads like a gauntlet thrown down to a new era.

He opens on 25 September with an away trip to Turkey, a fixture that can quickly turn hostile both on the pitch and in the stands. Three days later, on 28 September, France travel to Belgium, one of Europe’s most technically gifted sides and a long-standing benchmark in the Nations League.

Then comes the homecoming. On 2 October, Zidane walks out at the Stade de France for the first time as national team coach, with Italy providing the opposition. The symbolism is heavy. Italy, the country where Zidane spent five defining years of his playing career with Juventus, returns to face the man who once illuminated Serie A and who bowed out of international football in that infamous 2006 World Cup final against the Azzurri.

The plot thickens if the current reports around Deschamps materialise. The man Zidane replaces has been strongly linked with taking over the Italian national team. If that move goes through, future France–Italy clashes will carry a sharp, almost cinematic edge: Deschamps in one dugout, Zidane in the other.

A Nations League baptism of fire

The UEFA Nations League will be Zidane’s testing ground, and the group offers little margin for error. After the October triple-header, France dive straight back into high-stakes action.

On 5 October, they host Belgium at the Stade de France, a quick-fire rematch that could shape the group’s hierarchy. Then, on 12 November, France travel to Italy for the reverse fixture, a night that could define not only the standings but also the tone of Zidane’s early reign.

The group stage closes on 15 November with France at home to Turkey, a match that might decide qualification, seeding, and early judgments on whether the gamble to hand the national team to a legend is paying off.

France’s Nations League fixtures under Zidane:

• 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

No warm-up games. No easing in. From his first team sheet, Zidane will be measured against the highest standard: can he turn the emotional weight of his return into a winning machine?

The press conference on 28 July will answer the formal questions — contract length, staff, objectives. The real answers will come in autumn, under the lights, when Zizou steps out of the past and into the most demanding job of his career.