Zinedine Zidane begins a new era as France coach until 2030

The French national team already has a new leader for the next four years. The French Football Federation announced this Tuesday the appointment of Zinedine Zidane as the new national coach until the 2030 World Cup, thus ending the successful cycle of Didier Deschamps, who remained fourteen years at the helm of the French team and won the 2018 World Cup, the 2021 Nations League, and two international runner-up finishes.

During his official presentation, Zidane confessed that taking over the bench of Les Bleus is "a dream come true" and assured that he had been waiting for this opportunity for years. "I received offers to coach clubs, but I rejected them all because the French national team was the only thing I wanted to do after my experience at Real Madrid," said the coach, who also dedicated words of support to the victims and emergency teams fighting the fires affecting the country.

The new coach also wanted to acknowledge the work of his predecessor. "I want to congratulate Didier Deschamps for everything he has done. Now a new chapter begins and I am going to dedicate all my energy to this team," he stated. Furthermore, he acknowledged that the position generates great emotion in him and described the day of his presentation as "the best" of his coaching career.

Zidane explained that he has not yet had a conversation with Kylian Mbappé, as he considers it a priority for the forward to rest after a long season. The coach indicated that he will begin working with the group in September, when he will have several weeks to prepare the team's first official commitments.

Although he was asked about Spain, France's executioner in the 2026 World Cup semifinals, Zidane avoided focusing his attention on the reigning world champion and made it clear that his immediate priority will be his debut in the Nations League. The coach will make his debut on September 25 against Turkey, before facing Belgium and then hosting Italy in his first match as coach on French soil.