Zidane named France head coach: a four-year deal that runs to the 2030 World Cup

France is not a 2030 World Cup host: it will have to qualify like everyone else. It will do so under Zinédine Zidane, appointed head coach on 28 July 2026 on a four-year contract. Four years from the summer of 2026 runs to the summer of 2030: his mandate covers the entire cycle leading to the tournament.

What is confirmed

• 28 July 2026 — The French Football Federation appoints Zinédine Zidane, 54, on a four-year contract. He succeeds Didier Deschamps, whose tenure ended after the 2026 World Cup.
• France finished fourth there, knocked out in the semi-finals; Deschamps’ last match in charge was a 6-4 defeat by England.
• 18 September 2026 — Zidane names his first squad, for the September–October international window.

What we are not repeating

The outlets we were able to read do not agree on the exact make-up of that first squad: the number of players called up differs from one source to another, and some names are spelled differently. Until we have the federation’s official list, we publish neither the count nor the names.

The six Nations League matches

From UEFA’s official data (League A, Group A1):

Date	Match	Stadium
25 Sep 2026	Türkiye – France	Kocaeli Stadyumu, Kocaeli
28 Sep 2026	Belgium – France	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels
2 Oct 2026	France – Italy	Stade de France, Saint-Denis
5 Oct 2026	France – Belgium	Stade de France, Saint-Denis
12 Nov 2026	Italy – France	San Siro, Milan
15 Nov 2026	France – Türkiye	Stade Matmut Atlantique, Bordeaux

None of these six matches is played in a 2030 stadium. The two home games are at the Stade de France and in Bordeaux.

And qualifying for 2030?

It has not started. No date, no format and no calendar for the European qualifiers for the 2030 World Cup has been published by UEFA so far. Until then, the Nations League and the Euro 2028 qualifiers are France’s only competitive fixtures.

Every match we track, host nations included, is on our Matches page.