Zidane Era Begins: France Face Türkiye in Les Bleus' First Match Since the World Cup
Zinedine Zidane's first game as France head coach is Friday's Nations League opener in İzmit. Saliba and Tchouameni are both missing.
One of football's most anticipated coaching debuts takes place on Friday, 25 September. Zinedine Zidane leads France for the first time when they visit Türkiye in League A, Group 1 of the UEFA Nations League.
The match at the Kocaeli Stadium in İzmit kicks off at 8.45pm Paris time, which is 2.45am on Saturday in Malaysia.
The end of the Deschamps years
Zidane replaces Didier Deschamps, whose 14-year spell ended after the World Cup in North America. France lost 0-2 to eventual champions Spain in the semi-finals on 14 July. They then lost 6-4 to England in the third-place play-off.
Zidane was presented in Paris in late July. As a player he won the World Cup with France in 1998. As a coach he won three Champions League titles in a row with Real Madrid from 2016 to 2018. This is his first job in international football.
He has brought familiar faces with him, according to IOL. David Bettoni, who worked with him at Real Madrid, is his assistant, and 1998 World Cup winner Fabien Barthez is goalkeeper coach.
Zidane has promised an attacking style. "You will see how I see football," he said.
Team news
Kylian Mbappe remains captain and goes into the match with 66 international goals, according to Sports Mole. Two regulars are missing:
- William Saliba (Arsenal): injured
- Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid): unavailable with a fitness problem
Zidane's squad includes six uncapped players. Named new faces include Liverpool defender Jeremy Jacquet, Como's Lucas Da Cunha and Rennes striker Esteban Lepaul.
Sports Mole's predicted France XI: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Konate, Truffert; Camavinga, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Doue; Mbappe.
With Tchouameni out, Eduardo Camavinga is expected to start in central midfield. Adrien Truffert could win only his second cap at left-back.
A tough group
Italy, Belgium and Türkiye make League A1 one of the hardest groups in the competition. Italy host Belgium on the same night. Türkiye had a disappointing World Cup, although they beat the USA 3-2 in their last group game, according to Goal.com.
France's recent record against Türkiye is not especially strong. The teams drew 1-1 at the Stade de France in October 2019 in Euro 2020 qualifying, and Türkiye won the reverse fixture 2-0 earlier that year.
France's next fixtures: Belgium on 28 September, then Italy at the Stade de France on 2 October.
Key takeaways
- Zidane's first match as France coach is against Türkiye on Friday. It kicks off at 2.45am Saturday, Malaysia time.
- He replaces Didier Deschamps after France finished fourth at the 2026 World Cup.
- Saliba and Tchouameni are out. Mbappe captains a squad that includes six uncapped players.
- France play Belgium and Italy in the rest of this window.
FAQ
Has Zidane coached a national team before? No. His previous coaching jobs were at Real Madrid.
Who is on Zidane's coaching staff? David Bettoni is his assistant and Fabien Barthez is goalkeeper coach.
Where is the match being played? At the Kocaeli Stadium in İzmit, Türkiye.
Sources: IOL, Sortiraparis, Sports Mole, Goal.com, UEFA.com, ESPN