Zidane's First France Squad: A Bold New Era

Zinedine Zidane walked into FFF headquarters in Paris and made it clear within minutes: this is his France now.

The new head coach, successor to Didier Deschamps after a 12-year reign, named his first 23-man squad and swung the door wide open to a new generation. Jeremy Jacquet, Andy Diouf, Lucas Da Cunha, Guillaume Restes and Esteban Lepaul all received their first senior call-ups, a bold cluster of debutants that underlines exactly where Zidane wants to take Les Bleus.

All five will head straight to Clairefontaine on Monday, thrown into the heart of the national setup rather than eased in from the fringes. No extended list, no bloated group. Just 23 players, tightly chosen.

A compact squad by design

Zidane made it plain: he wants a smaller group to keep everyone fully engaged across a packed international window.

Every player, he stressed, must feel involved, must matter. No passengers. No token selections.

He then walked through his choices with the same clarity he once showed on the ball, offering detailed tactical explanations and repeatedly coming back to two themes: current form and long-term potential.

Jacquet, now at Liverpool, is a case in point. Zidane spoke of a long-standing familiarity with the centre-back, tracing it back to youth-team days when Jacquet played alongside his son. Diouf, the Inter Milan midfielder, and Da Cunha, shining at Como, were highlighted as profiles that fit the aggressive, front-foot style he wants to install.

“The game” is his obsession

Zidane did not hide what drives him.

“They are players who deserve to be here, players I want to see,” he said. “What inspires me is the game. I want to see these players and this team playing. I like Jacquet's profile a lot. I've followed him for a long time because he played alongside my son in the youth teams.”

The message behind the words was unmistakable: selection under Zidane will be about what players can do now and what they might become, not what they did five years ago.

He underlined versatility as a key criterion, especially in central midfield and at full-back. Adrien Truffert returns to the squad alongside Diouf to reinforce the flanks, both expected to offer flexibility in and out of possession.

Big names left behind

The generational cut came with consequences. World Cup winners N'Golo Kante and Karim Benzema were both left out, not because Zidane doubts their quality, but because he is choosing a different path.

“Choosing Andy Diouf and Truffert is a strong choice. They are capable of playing in this position,” he explained. “N'Golo is 35 and I have made choices, which are different. I adore Karim, but he's a certain age. I need to see younger players and what we will do together.”

No drama, no public rupture. Just a firm, calculated pivot toward youth and the physical and tactical demands Zidane wants to impose.

A brutal first test

The calendar offers no gentle introduction.

France face four matches in ten days, a stretch that will test not only Zidane’s ideas but also the depth and resilience of his trimmed-down squad.

Les Bleus travel to Izmir to face Turkey on Friday, September 25, then head to Brussels to meet Belgium on September 28. After that, they return home to Saint-Denis for back-to-back fixtures: Italy on October 2, Belgium again on October 5.

Little time to train. Even less time to hesitate.

Mbappe stays at the helm

Through all the change, one pillar remains: Kylian Mbappe keeps the captain’s armband.

With Mbappe as the standard-bearer of this new era and a fresh core forming around him, Zidane now has his first group, his first camp and his first real chance to stamp his identity on France.

The names on the list tell their own story. The real question is how quickly this new-look side can turn Zidane’s vision into something opponents have to fear.