Confirmed: Zinedine Zidane appointed France head coach

Zinedine Zidane has been appointed France’s new head coach, replacing Didier Deschamps after his 14 years in charge.

The French Football Federation confirmed the appointment on Tuesday, marking Zidane’s return to coaching five years after he left Real Madrid.

The 54-year-old had long been regarded as the natural successor to Deschamps, his former France teammate.

Zidane will take charge of France’s UEFA Nations League matches against Türkiye, Belgium and Italy before leading the team into the Euro 2028 qualifying campaign.

His first match will be against Türkiye on September 25.

Deschamps, who became France coach in 2012, left after the 2026 World Cup.

He led France to the 2018 World Cup title, the 2022 World Cup final and the final of the 2016 European Championship.

France entered the 2026 World Cup among the favourites but lost 2-0 to Spain in the semi-finals before suffering a 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place playoff.

Zidane returns to the national team as one of the greatest players in French football history.

He scored twice against Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final as France won the trophy for the first time and helped the country capture Euro 2000.

Zidane also won the Ballon d’Or and three FIFA World Player of the Year awards during his playing career.

As Real Madrid coach, he won three consecutive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018 and lifted two LaLiga trophies. He had remained out of management since leaving the Spanish club in May 2021.