Zinedine Zidane Takes Charge of France: Can He Win the World Cup as a Player and Manager?
Zinedine Zidane has replaced Didier Deschamps as France manager. Can the 1998 World Cup winner now lead Les Bleus to the trophy from the touchline?
Zinedine Zidane has returned to the France national team, twenty years after making his final appearance for Les Bleus. The French Football Federation officially presented Zidane as Didier Deschamps’ successor on 28 July 2026. The four-year appointment takes him through to the 2030 FIFA World Cup and gives him the opportunity to achieve something only two men have previously managed. Zidane won the World Cup as a player in 1998. His next ambition will be to win it again from the touchline.
Zinedine Zidane has officially become the new manager of France, replacing Didier Deschamps after his 14 years in charge. Zidane won the 1998 World Cup as a player and later claimed three consecutive Champions League titles as Real Madrid manager. He now has the opportunity to become only the third man to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager.
Zidane returns to the France national team
Few appointments in international football have felt as inevitable as Zidane becoming France manager.
The former midfielder earned 108 international caps, scored 31 goals and represented his country at three World Cups. His defining international performance came in the 1998 final, when he scored twice as France defeated Brazil to win their first world title.
Zidane followed that success by helping France win the European Championship in 2000. He later returned from international retirement to captain his country to another World Cup final in 2006, where France lost to Italy on penalties.
His appointment marks the beginning of a new era following Didier Deschamps’ long and successful tenure.
Deschamps took charge in 2012 and led France to the 2018 World Cup, the 2021 Nations League and several major tournament finals. Following France’s 2026 World Cup campaign, the responsibility now passes to another central figure from the country’s greatest footballing generation.
Zidane has described managing France as a dream and spoke positively about the extraordinary group of players he has inherited. His contract begins in August, with his first match expected to come against Turkey in the UEFA Nations League.
His Real Madrid record proves he can handle pressure
Zidane arrives with one of the strongest managerial records of any former international player.
He took charge of Real Madrid’s first team in January 2016 and immediately delivered the Champions League. He then retained the trophy in 2017 before winning it for a third consecutive season in 2018.
No manager had previously won three Champions League titles in succession in the modern era.
Across two spells at Real Madrid, Zidane also won two La Liga titles, two FIFA Club World Cups, two UEFA Super Cups and two Spanish Super Cups.
His record showed that he could manage elite players, navigate major matches and deliver trophies while operating under intense scrutiny. Real Madrid’s official history also credits him with winning the FIFA Best Men’s Coach award in 2017.
International management will present a different challenge.
Zidane will have far less time with his players, while knockout tournaments can be decided by a single tactical decision or moment of individual quality. However, his ability to command respect and manage established stars should suit a French squad filled with Champions League and World Cup experience.
Can Zidane win the World Cup as a manager?
Zidane has the talent required to compete for every major international trophy.
France can call upon players including Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué, alongside an established group of defenders and midfielders competing at Europe’s leading clubs.
Managing that depth will become one of Zidane’s most important responsibilities.
France have regularly possessed one of the strongest squads in international football, but a large pool of talented players also creates difficult selection decisions. Zidane must establish a clear system, choose the right balance and ensure his leading attackers can perform together.
The pressure will be immediate because reaching major tournaments will never be considered enough for France. Supporters will expect Zidane to compete for the 2028 European Championship before challenging for the World Cup in 2030.
Winning that tournament would place him alongside Brazil’s Mário Zagallo and Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer as the only men to have lifted the World Cup as both a player and a manager.
Zidane has already completed the player’s journey. He scored twice in a World Cup final, lifted the trophy for his country and became one of the defining footballers of his generation.
His next chapter will determine whether he can lead another generation of French players towards the same achievement.
With Zidane on the touchline and Mbappé leading the attack, France will enter this era carrying enormous expectations. Their manager has spent his career delivering on them.