Zinedine Zidane named new France head coach following World Cup

Zinedine Zidane named as France head coach following World Cup 2026Ex-superstar player succeeds Didier Deschamps as France manager after the national team’s bitter semifinal exit in the United States.Former France midfielder Zinedine Zidane will take over as national team head coach, the French Football Federation posted on X on Tuesday.The appointment of the former Real Madrid manager comes two weeks after Didier Deschamps’ tenure as coach ended following France’s fourth-place finish at the World Cup. His final match in charge was the 6-4 defeat by England.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Five wickets, no runs: West Indies cricketer makes bowling historylist 2 of 3UFC: Conor McGregor calls for ‘Last Dance’ vs Max Holloway in 2027list 3 of 3FIFA boss Gianni Infantino accuses World Cup critics of spreading hateend of listZidane, 54, is expected to begin his reign with an away UEFA Nations League game against Turkiye before France host Italy at the France" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="50025" data-entity-type="location">Stade de France on October 2.Deschamps, who left after 14 years at the helm, oversaw 185 matches and 120 victories, guiding France to the 2018 World Cup title, the 2020-21 Nations League trophy and the Euro 2016 and 2022 World Cup finals.Both share a long association, having been teammates in the 1998 World Cup-winning side at home in France.Zidane played a pivotal role in that triumph and won the Ballon d’Or that year.Capped 108 times, Zidane won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and scored 31 goals for France [File: John Sibley/Action Images via Reuters]