Zidane Returns: France Prepares for a New Era

The wait is almost over. The French Football Federation has set the date that should confirm what the country has been whispering for months: Zinedine Zidane is coming home.

On Tuesday 28 July 2026, at 11am, federation president Philippe Diallo will step in front of the cameras at the FFF headquarters to unveil the new head coach of Les Bleus. The press release did not name him. It didn’t need to. With Didier Deschamps stepping aside after 14 years, all roads lead to Zidane.

The executive committee will meet in an extraordinary session earlier that day. When the doors open and the officials file out, France’s next era will officially begin.

No farewell lap for Deschamps

There will be no grand send-off for Deschamps. No testimonial atmosphere, no choreographed goodbye. After more than a decade in charge, the man who delivered the 2018 World Cup and reached two more major finals will exit quietly, almost abruptly, as the spotlight swings to his successor.

It is a cold transition for a coach who defined a generation, but also a clear signal: France is not pausing to look back. Not when Zidane is waiting.

The former captain and Deschamps’ teammate from the 1998 world champions has long been seen as the natural heir. Reliable reports say the agreement with the federation is done. Only the final touches to his backroom staff remain before he officially takes the reins.

Zidane returns after five years in the shadows

Zidane has not coached since leaving Real Madrid in June 2021. Five years away from the dugout. Five years of speculation, offers, and refusals.

He turned down club projects, resisted lucrative proposals, and stayed patient. The France job has always been the one. His name has been tied to it so often it felt less like a rumour and more like an inevitability waiting for its moment.

Even French politics could not derail it. Recent parliamentary reforms on salary caps will not touch Zidane’s deal; he has secured a special exemption from the government. The state wants him on that bench as much as the federation does.

No gentle warm-up for Zizou

If Zidane hoped for a soft landing, the calendar has other ideas.

His first international window, stretching from September to October, reads like a gauntlet. He opens away to Turkey on 25 September, a fixture that rarely offers comfort, only noise and hostility. Three days later, on 28 September, he takes France to Belgium, one of Europe’s most technically gifted sides and a familiar rival.

Then comes the night that will frame his return: 2 October, at the Stade de France, against Italy. His first home match in charge, against a nation that has always carried a particular weight in his story.

Zidane spent five years at Juventus, forged part of his legend in Serie A, and played some of his most iconic football on Italian soil. Now he will stand opposite the Azzurri as the face of France, under the floodlights of Saint-Denis.

The plot thickens with Deschamps

There is another twist. Reports have already linked Deschamps with the Italian national team job after his departure from France. If that move materialises, the symbolism of those France–Italy meetings will deepen.

The man who just vacated the French bench could soon be standing in the opposite technical area, leading the country where he also became a Juventus icon. Zidane on one side, Deschamps on the other. Two 1998 heroes, two World Cup-winning captains, now strategists in rival dugouts.

For now, that remains a storyline in waiting. The fixtures, though, are locked in.

A Nations League run without breathing space

France’s UEFA Nations League schedule under Zidane is relentless:

• 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

After the opening trio of tests, France host Belgium on 5 October in what could quickly become a defining night for Zidane’s early tenure. Then, on 12 November, he returns to Italy, this time as the visiting France coach, before closing the group by hosting Turkey on 15 November.

There is no room here for slow-building projects or extended experiments. Every match is loaded. Every opponent is a benchmark.

Zidane walks into a job where the expectations are unforgiving and the talent pool is rich. The country does not ask whether he can handle the pressure. It asks something sharper: with this squad, and this schedule, how quickly can he turn aura into trophies?