Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane has reached a verbal agreement with the France national team to become the next coach of Les Bleus, according to a recent report from ESPN.
The former French international looks all set to succeed Didier Deschamps by making his highly anticipated return to coaching, having only coached Real Madrid so far in his managerial career.
The report suggests Zidane will take over the reins from Deschamps after the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the latter set to end his successful 14-year stint with Les Bleus this summer.
Zidane had been vying for the French national team coaching opportunity for quite some time now and had turned down offers from big clubs such as Manchester United and even Real Madrid.
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The Frenchman's coaching career had started at Real Madrid, with Zidane famously guiding Los Blancos to three successive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018. He returned to coach at Santiago Bernabeu for the second time in 2019, but the stint only lasted two years as he left in 2021.
Zidane has been a free agent since, resisting offers from top clubs in order to wait for the France opportunity, which will finally come in the summer of 2026, once the World Cup is over.
Upon his potential appointment, Zidane will inherit a team flooded with stars such as Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano, among countless others.
Regardless of France's fate in the 2026 World Cup, Zidane's task will be to ensure Les Bleus' dominance in world football, as he will have access to a squad capable of doing so.
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