Zidane confirmed as new France manager

What the report says

BBC Sport reports that Zinedine Zidane has been confirmed as the new head coach of France’s men’s national football team, taking over after Didier Deschamps ended a 14-year spell in charge. The change follows France’s semi-final defeat by Spain at the 2026 World Cup, where the team ultimately finished fourth.

Zidane, 54, returns to management five years after leaving Real Madrid for a second time in 2021. He is one of the defining figures in French football history, having starred in the France side that won the 1998 World Cup. BBC Sport says his agreement will run through the 2030 World Cup, giving him a full cycle to reshape and lead the national team.

In remarks reported by the BBC, Zidane described the appointment as a major honour and responsibility, thanked French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo and the federation’s leadership, and acknowledged the work of Deschamps and his staff. He also said he had high ambitions for the national team.

The appointment is significant because it pairs France’s most successful modern football identity with a squad that has remained among the world’s strongest under Deschamps. Zidane’s managerial résumé includes major success at Real Madrid, while Deschamps leaves after the longest tenure in the role and a period that included World Cup success in 2018 and another final in 2022. BBC Sport said more details were expected to follow.