French Football Federation confirms Zidane As New Head Coach

The French Football Federation (FFF) officially appointed Zinédine Zidane as head coach of the men’s national team on Tuesday, ending a two-week search following Didier Deschamps’ resignation.

The FFF announced the appointment at a press conference at its Clairefontaine headquarters. Zidane signed a four-year contract running through the 2030 World Cup, according to federation president Philippe Diallo, who said the executive committee voted unanimously in favor of the former France captain.

This marks Zidane’s first senior international head coaching role. He previously served as an assistant to Laurent Blanc from 2010 to 2012. At club level, he won three consecutive Champions League titles with Real Madrid (2016–2018) and two La Liga championships.

Diallo confirmed that Zidane requested and received full sporting authority over player selection and tactical decisions. His staff will include former France midfielder Claude Makélélé as defensive coordinator and former Real Madrid forward Raúl González as attacking advisor.

His first competitive matches will be the UEFA Nations League group stage in September, preceded by friendlies against Italy and Brazil in August.

Financial terms were not officially disclosed, but sources close to the FFF told Reuters the contract is worth €12 million net per year, with performance bonuses for winning Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup.

Zidane will hold his first training camp in Cannes on August 1. The FFF said ticket sales for the open session crashed the federation’s website within 20 minutes of the announcement.