Zinedine Zidane's long-awaited reign as France head coach has begun with a 1–0 Nations League victory over Türkiye, with captain Kylian Mbappé delivering the decisive goal. The result gives Zidane the perfect start, but the bigger question is what kind of France he intends to build after succeeding Didier Deschamps.
Date: September 25, 2026
By Abiodun Adewale Adeniyi | Founder & Editor, Beyond the Final Whistle
Zinedine Zidane waited years for this moment.
After turning down opportunities to return to club management, the former Real Madrid coach finally got the job he had made little secret of wanting: manager of the French national team.
And his reign has started with a victory.
France defeated Türkiye 1–0 away from home in their opening 2026/27 UEFA Nations League match, with captain Kylian Mbappé scoring the decisive goal.
For Zidane, the three points provide an encouraging beginning.
But this new era will ultimately be judged on considerably more than the result of one Nations League match.
After 14 years under Didier Deschamps, France are beginning a new footballing cycle.
The fascinating question is what Zidane intends to change.
Zidane Finally Gets the France Job He Wanted
Few managerial appointments have felt as inevitable as this one.
Zidane's connection with Les Bleus stretches far beyond coaching.
He was the central figure when France won their first World Cup in 1998, scoring twice in the final against Brazil, and played another major role when France won Euro 2000.
His managerial career subsequently produced extraordinary success at Real Madrid.
Zidane won three consecutive Champions League titles during his first spell in charge—a feat no other manager has achieved in the modern Champions League era.
Yet after leaving Real Madrid in 2021, he stayed away from management.
Why?
France was always the job in the background.
Zidane has now acknowledged just how seriously he wanted the position. UEFA quoted the new France coach as saying he had rejected several club offers over the previous four or five years because he was waiting for France.
That wait is over.
Mbappé Could Become the Centre of Zidane's France
One of Zidane's first major decisions was also one of his most important.
Kylian Mbappé remains France captain.
Zidane could have used the managerial change as an opportunity to restructure the leadership group.
He didn't.
Instead, he immediately backed Mbappé.
When announcing his first squad, Zidane also provided an interesting clue about how he views his captain tactically.
Mbappé can play across the attack, but Zidane specifically said that he particularly likes the Real Madrid forward operating from the left.
That could become one of the defining tactical decisions of the Zidane era.
Does France continue using Mbappé primarily through the middle?
Or does Zidane move him towards the left, allowing him to attack defenders from his preferred areas while another forward occupies the centre?
Those decisions affect the entire attacking structure.
And the relationship between the two men already carries considerable symbolism.
Mbappé grew up idolising Zidane. Now one of France's greatest-ever players is coaching one of the country's greatest modern stars.
The beginning wasn't completely straightforward either.
Earlier this week, Mbappé missed training because of flu-like symptoms, creating Zidane's first unexpected selection concern. We examined that situation in our previous Beyond the Final Whistle report on Mbappé missing France training ahead of Zidane's debut.
France ultimately got their captain onto the pitch.
And Mbappé delivered the winning goal.
For Zidane, it is difficult to imagine a more fitting beginning.
This Isn't Simply Deschamps' France With a Different Manager
Zidane has been careful not to portray his appointment as a rejection of everything Deschamps built.
And that matters.
Deschamps' tenure was enormously successful.
France won the 2018 World Cup, reached another World Cup final in 2022 and remained among international football's elite for most of his 14 years in charge.
Zidane therefore isn't rebuilding a failed national team.
He is inheriting an exceptionally talented squad and trying to take it in a new direction.
His first selection provided some clues.
Goalkeeper Guillaume Restes, defenders Jérémy Jacquet and Andy Diouf, midfielder Lucas Da Cunha and forward Estéban Lepaul all received their first senior France call-ups.
That is significant.
Zidane is maintaining an experienced core while opening the door to another generation.
And France have the talent pool to make that transition unusually exciting.
What Could Zidane Change Tactically?
This may be the biggest question of all.
Zidane has never been associated with one rigid tactical ideology.
At Real Madrid, his greatest strength was often adaptability.
His teams could control possession when necessary, attack quickly in transition, use width through the full-backs or exploit the technical superiority of their midfield.
He also demonstrated an ability to manage elite personalities.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Casemiro were among the stars he successfully brought together.
France present a similar challenge.
The national team possesses extraordinary individual talent.
Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, Eduardo Camavinga and Rayan Cherki provide Zidane with numerous attacking and creative possibilities.
The difficulty isn't finding talented players.
It is finding the correct balance between them.
That is why Zidane's France may ultimately be more flexible than ideological.
Rather than forcing every opponent into the same system, he can construct different solutions around the strengths of his squad.
Mbappé From the Left Could Change Everything
If Zidane follows through on his comments about Mbappé's position, France's attacking structure could become particularly interesting.
Starting from the left does not necessarily mean Mbappé would behave like a traditional winger.
He could begin wide before moving into central scoring positions.
That movement would create space for an overlapping full-back while allowing a conventional striker or false nine to occupy central defenders.
It could also give France a devastating transition threat.
When opponents lose possession, few footballers are more dangerous attacking open space than Mbappé.
The challenge will be defensive balance.
If Mbappé receives freedom to remain high, the midfielder and full-back behind him must compensate.
Those small structural decisions will tell us considerably more about Zidane's coaching than any formation graphic.
A New Generation Is Arriving
Zidane isn't only managing France's established stars.
He is also responsible for preparing the next generation.
The inclusion of five uncapped players in his first squad demonstrates that he is willing to make decisions based on current performance rather than reputation alone.
Liverpool defender Jérémy Jacquet is particularly interesting after an impressive start to his career in England.
Zidane also selected younger players alongside established internationals rather than replacing the entire squad at once.
That balance makes sense.
International managers have very little training time.
Too much change too quickly can create instability.
But refusing to refresh a squad can create a different problem.
Zidane appears to be trying to do both: preserve France's elite core while gradually introducing players who could become important by Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup.
International Football Will Test Zidane Differently
Zidane's Real Madrid achievements guarantee respect.
But international management is different.
At club level, coaches work with players almost every day.
They can repeatedly train tactical movements, correct mistakes and develop patterns over months.
International coaches often receive only a handful of training sessions before competitive matches.
Zidane must therefore simplify ideas without making France predictable.
He must also make difficult selection decisions knowing he may not see his squad again for weeks.
That could actually suit one of his greatest managerial strengths.
At Madrid, Zidane was renowned for managing personalities and creating an environment in which elite players could perform.
France have no shortage of elite players.
The question is whether he can build the same collective belief at international level.
Türkiye Was Only the Beginning
The victory gives Zidane three points, but his opening international window gets harder from here.
According to UEFA's official France Nations League schedule, France next travel to Belgium on September 28 before hosting Italy on October 2 and Belgium again on October 5.
Those matches should provide considerably more evidence about Zidane's ideas.
Four games in a short period will require rotation.
They will also test France against opponents with different tactical approaches.
That gives Zidane an early opportunity to demonstrate something that defined his Real Madrid career: adaptability.
Zidane and Mbappé Now Have Their Own France Story
For years, Zidane and Mbappé were connected largely through Real Madrid.
Now their relationship belongs to France.
Zidane has trusted Mbappé with the captaincy.
Mbappé has the opportunity to become the central attacking figure of Zidane's national team.
And their first competitive match together has ended with Mbappé scoring the goal that gave his new manager victory.
That is an almost perfect opening chapter.
But France's ambitions extend much further than winning a Nations League opener.
Zidane has been appointed through the 2030 World Cup cycle, and expectations will inevitably include major trophies.
His Real Madrid career proved that he can manage some of football's biggest personalities under extraordinary pressure.
Now comes a different challenge.
He has to build his own France.
Beyond the Final Whistle, Zinedine Zidane could hardly have scripted the beginning better: his first match as France manager, a victory away from home and a decisive goal from captain Kylian Mbappé. But the more important story is only beginning. Zidane now has the opportunity to combine France's established superstars with an emerging generation and create a team that reflects his own ideas rather than simply continuing the Deschamps era.
Will Zidane's partnership with Kylian Mbappé deliver another golden era for France, or will international management present the Real Madrid legend with his toughest coaching challenge yet? Join the conversation on Beyond the Final Whistle.
