Zidane can break 31-year streak without opening-match victory for France

Zinédine Zidane begins his era at the helm of the French national team on Friday night in Turkey (20:45), in the opening match of the Nations League. A victory would allow him to accomplish what none of his predecessors have managed in over three decades.

Since Zidane’s appointment as manager — succeeding Didier Deschamps after France’s fourth-place finish at the 2026 World Cup — one figure keeps coming up: 1994. That was the last time a France manager won his first official match. That evening, Aimé Jacquet beat Italy in Naples thanks to a goal from Youri Djorkaeff (0-1, 16 February 1994).

Since then, the streak has been relentless. Roger Lemerre managed only a draw against Austria (2-2, 19 August 1998). Jacques Santini met the same fate against Tunisia (2-2, 21 August 2002). Raymond Domenech drew with Bosnia-Herzegovina (1-1, 18 August 2004), and Laurent Blanc suffered a defeat in Norway on his first outing (2-1, 11 August 2010). As for Didier Deschamps, his first match ended in a goalless draw against Uruguay on 15 August 2012.

Five managers, five failures to secure the opening three points. Zidane therefore has the opportunity to immediately make his mark on the national team by ending a streak that has lasted since the Jacquet era. The trip to Turkey is not expected to be a formality, however.