CIt’s an open secret: unless there are major changes, Zinédine Zidane will replace Didier Deschamps and will become the next coach of the French team. In office for 13 years, the coach of the 2018 world champions will play one last major international tournament in North America with the 2026 World Cup. Jobless since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, Zidane has turned down various offers, including from Juventus and Manchester United, to get what he has coveted for years.
Five years waiting for Zizou
This patience says a lot about the 1998 World Cup final hero’s desire to coach Kylian Mbappé & co. Zidane has proven himself on Madrid’s bench, most notably winning three consecutive Champions Leagues from 2016 to 2018, but five years without leading a team is an eternity in football. Another big challenge for the Blues’ former number 10: he has never coached a national team, while everyday life between club and selection is very different.
Zinedine Zidane remains the favorite to become France’s next head coach after the World Cup.
Nothing was signed because Zizou wanted to respect Deschamps, who will only leave his job at the end of July.
The federation is also fully focused on the 2026 World Cup but Zizou is the favorite for the next round. pic.twitter.com/9hS0OdxeRn
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 18, 2025
The main criticism of Deschamps’ French team often focuses on boring games and propositions. Despite big competitions such as the Euros and the World Cup, it is sometimes difficult to lift the Blues’ spirits, whether in qualifying matches or the Nations League. Can Zidane come up with a more interesting style? His reals aren’t the most spectacular, but they often know how to get to the end. So the expected break may not necessarily happen, but with the tough breeding ground of French football, it will be hard not to get a result.
Zidane is preparing for this great challenge to look back on his history with the French team, 20 years after his last World Cup which left an indelible mark both on his career and on the history of French football. For Philippe Diallo, president of the FFF, we must now act like diplomats and choose the ideal date for this highly symbolic appointment. The manager raised the possibility next spring to make official news: “One option is the end of the first quarter of 2026, around March-April, to be far enough away from the final phase. I don’t want any disruptions. »
“Very good candidate, natural and expected”
The federation is preparing the exit of Deschamps, which will not extend beyond his contract which expires in June 2026. And if we attribute the enmity to the two former teammates, double World Cup-Euro winners in 1998 and 2000, then the time is no longer for tension and rivalry, but for mutual interests. “There is no reason why there cannot be harmony between Didier Deschamps and his successor. Didier announced his departure clearly and with particular panache. So, there is no reason why there cannot be this harmony,” added Philippe Diallo.
The former OM coach knows his group by heart and his preparations for the 2026 World Cup will include two friendlies in March 2026 on American soil, possibly against Colombia and Brazil. Concerned about the balance of the dressing room, Didier Deschamps already knows 90% of who will be the lucky 25-26 year old who will be adventuring in seven months, and the possible appointment of a replacement is unlikely to disrupt his routine.
Asked in February 2025 about his famous heir, Didier Deschamps contacted Zinédine Zidane. “There is a lot of respect between us. We last met in the summer of 2023 and we have to meet again next summer, for the same reasons. Zizou is a very good candidate, a natural and I would like to add to that. » Recently present at a charity match near Toulon, Zidane indicated that he would coach again “soon”. The planets are aligning, all we have to do is wait for the coronation.
