It has been assumed for a while that Zinedine Zidane will occupy the role of head coach of the French National Team after World Cup 2026, with Didier Deschamps announcing he will step down no matter what happens in the competition.
And now, with les Bleus gathered and training for a couple of friendly matches this week (Brazil and Colombia on March 26 and 29), the focus is set again on Zidane, as new gossip reveals details on Zidane's upcoming arrival to the national team.
Even the prestigious newspaper L'Équipe releases on March 24 with a picture of Zidane on the cover:
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Philippe Diallo "knows the name" of the next France coach
It started when Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation, said in an interview with Le Figaro on Sunday that he already knows the name of Deschamps's successor. Everyone assumes the name will start with a Z and the surname will also start with a Z.
According to RMC Sport, Zidane is currently working towards that goal, and is now assembling his coaching staff, which could include some "loyal members" from the 1998 France squad, like Alain Boghossian, former midfielder who now works as a pundit, as well as talking regularly to Henri Emile, the 84-year-old who coached France between 1980 and 2004.
If Zinedine Zidane is announced as new manager for the French National Team, it will be only his second team as a manager, following his two stints at Real Madrid, the last one ending in 2021, and his previous stint at Real Madrid Castilla.