Zidane appointed France coach

• Zinedine Zidane has been appointed head coach of the French national team

• By succeeding Didier Deschamps, he becomes the 17th head coach of Les Bleus

• Former Real Madrid coach is third player from France 1998 generation to take post

His name has been the obvious choice for months, and the announcement is now official: Zinedine Zidane is the new head coach of the France national team.

The Les Bleus legend has signed a four-year contract up until the end of the FIFA World Cup 2030™. Zidane replaces Didier Deschamps, who stepped down from the role after leading Les Bleus to a fourth-place finish at World Cup 2026. The former Real Madrid coach has massive shoes to fill, with Deschamps leading France to global glory at Russia 2018 and then the final four years later in Qatar.

Zidane, 54, arrives with an immaculate career as both a player and coach. Having scored twice in the 1998 World Cup final — where Les Bleus secured their first star — Zidane went on to captain the team at the 2006 finals.

There, he delivered outstanding performances against Spain, Brazil and Portugal before concluding his international career in the final against Italy, a match in which he scored a memorable Panenka penalty. The game ended in heartache though, with France beaten in a penalty shootout after Zidane was sent off in extra-time.

As a coach, after initially serving as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant at Real Madrid, he took charge of Real Madrid Castilla before being appointed head coach of the first team. There he led Los Merengues to an unprecedented hat-trick of UEFA Champions League titles — in 2016, 2017 and 2018 — a first in the competition.

Relying on two systems — the 4-3-3 inherited from Ancelotti, which he later transformed into a more balanced 4-4-2 — Zidane won an incredible 11 trophies during his six seasons at the club, including two FIFA Intercontinental Cups™. He is the third-most successful coach in Real Madrid's history, trailing only Miguel Munoz and his mentor Ancelotti, who have 14 and 15 titles respectively.

On an individual level, the Frenchman won The Best FIFA Men’s Coach award in 2017, just 653 days after taking charge of the club. Another record.

Now appointed head coach of Les Bleus, he becomes the third member of the 1998 World Cup-winning squad to take charge of the French national team in succession, following Laurent Blanc (2010–12) and Deschamps (2012–26).

With a squad that includes the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue, France are expected to challenge for numerous trophies under Zidane in the years to come.