The French Football Federation (FFF) will hold a press conference on Tuesday, 28 July, to present the next head coach of the men’s national team, with Zinedine Zidane widely expected to be named as the successor to Didier Deschamps. The FFF statement did not identify the appointee, but French media and football analysts across Europe describe the 54-year-old former playmaker as the overwhelming favourite. The announcement, scheduled for 11:00 at the federation’s Paris headquarters, follows an extraordinary meeting of the executive committee that morning.

Deschamps’ 14-year tenure concluded on Saturday after France finished fourth at the 2026 World Cup in the United States. Les Bleus fell to Spain in the semi-finals and then lost the third-place match to England, ending a cycle that brought the 2018 World Cup title, a runners-up finish at Euro 2016 on home soil, and a penalty-shootout defeat to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final. The departure opens the door for Zidane, who has waited several years for the role and has not held a coaching position since leaving Real Madrid in 2021.

Zidane’s managerial CV is defined by an unprecedented run of three consecutive Champions League titles with Real Madrid between 2016 and 2018. As a player, he was the creative fulcrum of the France side that won the 1998 World Cup on home soil and followed it with the European Championship in 2000. He would become the third member of that golden generation to manage the national team, after Laurent Blanc (2010–2012) and Deschamps himself. French football observers note that Zidane has never concealed his ambition to take the job, and his appointment would fulfil a long-held expectation among supporters and the federation.

The new coach will face an immediate test. France are scheduled to play four Nations League fixtures during the next international window in late September and early October: away to Turkey on 25 September, at home to Belgium on 28 September, away to Italy on 2 October, and at home again to Belgium on 5 October. The double-header against Belgium, a familiar rival, will offer an early measure of Zidane’s ability to imprint his style on a squad still stocked with world-class talent.