Zidane's debut as France manager draws 6.8 million viewers, five-year record

Zinédine Zidane’s first match in charge of the French national team delivered on all fronts in terms of viewership: France’s 1-0 victory over Turkey on Friday night in the Nations League attracted an average of 6.8 million viewers on TF1, with a peak of 7.7 million. This is a five-year audience record for a Nations League match.

The demographic breakdown figures are equally striking. TF1 recorded 48% audience share among women under 50 responsible for household purchases, 61% among men aged 25-49, and 71% among 15-24 year-olds — “historic records on target demographics” in the Nations League, according to the broadcaster. The post-match show drew 1.6 million viewers, its best performance on target demographics since 2024.

These results confirm a trend observable since “Zizou’s” appointment as head coach two months ago: the former France playmaker has become the number-one media attraction around the national team, even eclipsing Kylian Mbappé and the players themselves in the hierarchy of public attention.

By way of comparison, the match far outperformed a rerun of the drama Les secrets du Finistère on France 3 and drew nearly three times more viewers than La grande veillée des jeunes avec le pape Léon XIV broadcast simultaneously on France 2. On the pitch, the 1-0 victory over Turkey represents a positive first result for Zidane, who succeeds Didier Deschamps as head of the Blues.