Zidane Names First France Squad as National Team Coach

Zinedine Zidane officially announced his first senior squad as head coach of the French national team on Friday, 18 September 2026, in preparation for four scheduled UEFA Nations League fixtures.

End of Deschamps’ era

This selection marks Zidane’s debut managerial act for France and signals the formal conclusion of Didier Deschamps’ 14-year tenure as technical director of the national side, known as “Les Bleus.”

New faces and established core

The 25-man roster includes five uncapped players: Guillaume Restes, Jérémy Jacquet, Lucas Dacunha, Andy Diouf, and Esteban Lipov.

Zidane retained several key figures from the previous setup, though William Saliba is absent due to injury and Aurélien Tchouaméni remains unavailable following incomplete recovery.

The squad features Dayot Upamecano, Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé, Adrien Rabiot, Desiré Doué, and Bradley Barcola.

Lucas Digne and brothers Théo and Lucas Hernández were omitted from the list.

Full squad breakdown

Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan, Romain Lloris, Guillaume Restes.

Defenders: Dayot Upamecano, Jules Koundé, Ibrahima Konaté, Jérémy Jacquet, Andy Diouf, Pierre Kalulu, Maxence Lacroix, Adrien Truffert.

Midfielders: Adrien Rabiot, Mano Koné, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Eduardo Camavinga, Ryan Cherki, Lucas Dacunha.

Forwards: Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Desiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, Esteban Lipov.

Upcoming fixtures

France will play two away matches — against Turkey on 25 September and Belgium on 28 September — before hosting Italy at the Stade de France on 2 October, followed by a second encounter with Belgium on 5 October.