Zinedine Zidane is appointed France’s new boss on a four-year deal – as football icon replaces former team-mate Didier Deschamps

Zinedine Zidane has been unveiled as France’s new manager, in one of football’s most long-awaited appointments.

The 54-year-old has signed a four-year deal with Les Bleus as he succeeds his former Juventus and France team-mate Didier Deschamps.

Deschamps left his 14-year tenure as France manager at the end of the World Cup, with his side losing 2-0 to eventual champions Spain in the semi-finals. They finished fourth after a 6-4 defeat by England in the third-place play-off.

Zidane’s unveiling took place on Tuesday morning at the French Football Federation’s (FFF) headquarters in Paris, alongside FFF president Philippe Diallo.

Zinedine Zidane: France ‘was the only thing I wanted to do’

It is Zidane’s first foray back into management since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, revealing he has rejected offers in the meantime as he waited for his ‘dream’ to become France boss.

‘The French team was the only thing I wanted to do,’ Zidane told reporters. 

‘I’ve always looked at this team through the eyes of a future manager. I didn’t take a club job for that reason. The only thing I wanted to do after Madrid was manage the French national team. 

‘I could have taken on a three-year role because Deschamps was there. He made that decision in January 2025, and the very next day I knew I wanted to be the next one. We met with the president and the deal was sealed.’

Deschamps oversaw 185 matches and 120 victories, guiding France to the 2018 World Cup title, the 2020-21 Nations League trophy, and the Euro 2016 and 2022 World Cup finals.

He and Zidane share a long association, having been team-mates in France’s 1998 World Cup-winning side on home soil.

Zidane played a pivotal role in that triumph and won the Ballon d’Or that year. He made 108 appearances for the national side, scoring 31 goals and contributing 29 assists. 

The length of the deal means Zidane will work through until at least the 2030 World Cup, incorporating two Nations Leagues (2026-27 and 2028-29) as well as Euro 2028 before the major showpiece.

His first match in the hotseat will be away to Türkiye in the Nations League on September 25. After that comes a trip to local rivals Belgium on September 28 with a clash against Italy on October 2 sparking his first game in charge on home soil.