Zidane reveals his first France squad on September 17 for the Nations League

Zinédine Zidane will unveil his first France squad on September 17, 2026, according to RMC Sport. The new manager, who officially succeeded Didier Deschamps on July 28 after fourteen years of his reign, will thus concretely begin his mission at the helm of the Blues.

The training camp at Clairefontaine will begin on September 21. Zidane will then oversee two Nations League matches away from home: against Turkey on September 25, then against Belgium on September 28. The first home match is scheduled for October 2 at Stade de France against Italy — a fixture laden with symbolism for a man who wore the Juventus Turin shirt for five seasons, from 1996 to 2001. This match will be a sell-out.

To build his staff, Zidane has called upon several trusted collaborators, some of whom had already accompanied him at Real Madrid. David Bettoni, his long-time assistant, and Hamidou Msaidie, assistant coach, are part of the group. Former international goalkeeper Fabien Barthez, close to Zidane for many years, takes charge of goalkeeper training.

The technical staff is completed by Grégory Dupont, strategy and performance advisor, Stéphane Plancque, scout, Farid Tabet, assistant coach data analyst video, and Clément Ybert, assistant video analyst. Journalist Xavier Giraudon, who has known Zidane since his years at Girondins de Bordeaux in the 1990s, is expected to join the group soon as press officer.