Zinedine Zidane has been appointed as France's new coach, replacing Didier Deschamps. French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo announced the four-year contract at the FFF headquarters in Paris, calling Zidane "one of the legends of French soccer." Zidane, 54, said he had waited five years for the role, turning down club offers because the France job was "the only thing I wanted to do."

Deschamps, a former teammate of Zidane, managed France for 14 years, winning the 2018 World Cup and reaching the 2022 World Cup and 2016 European Championship finals. Zidane will take charge for the autumn UEFA Nations League campaign, beginning with Türkiye on Sept. 25, before Euro 2028 qualifying.

As a player, Zidane led France to the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 titles, and was named Player of the Tournament at the 2006 World Cup. As a coach, he won three consecutive Champions Leagues with Real Madrid (2016–2018). France were eliminated by Spain in the 2026 World Cup semifinals and lost to England in the third-place playoff.