Zinedine Zidane has his eyes on the France national team job after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, when Didier Deschamps is set to step down.
Zidane last managed Real Madrid but has been out of the managerial spotlight since 2021. He was linked with multiple openings recently across Europe, but remained away as questions arose around whether he would return, or if he was waiting for a specific job. Zidane recently not only committed to coming back to manage in the future, but the France national team is the job he wants next.
“I will surely return to coaching,” Zidane said at the Festival dello Sport di Trento. “I don’t know what the future holds for me. I feel like I can do something with the national team, that’s what I would like to do one day.”
Zidane previously made his interest known in the France job back in 2022. “I want it, of course. I will be, I hope, one day,” he said to L’Équipe. The French outlet previously claimed he is “preparing” for the role.
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Following one of the most infamous red cards in the sport’s history in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final, Zidane hung up his boots and stepped away from the game. Eight years later, he returned to coach Real Madrid Castilla from 2014 to 2016 before taking over the first team. Across two spells between 2016 and 2021, Zidane won three straight Champions Leagues, two La Liga titles and FIFA Club World Cup trophies amid other honors.
Deschamps, 56, has been France boss since 2012. He guided Les Bleus to the 2018 FIFA World Cup and a runner-up finish in 2022, when many thought he would step down to be replaced by Zidane. A surprise contract extension brought an end to that idea, but Deschamps confirmed at the start of the year that he will not seek fresh terms after the conclusion of the 2026 edition.
“In 2026 it will be over. In my head it’s very clear. I’ve done my time, with the same desire and passion to maintain France at the highest level but 2026 is [a] very good [time to stop,]” Deschamps told TF1 in January.
While the France Football Federation (FFF) have not committed to a replacement, Zidane is making it clear he wants to be considered. Zizou made 80 appearances for Les Bleus and lifted the 1998 World Cup.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Zinedine Zidane Reveals Team He Wants to Manage Next.
