Zidane's France: the captaincy is open, and he 'hasn't spoken to Mbappé yet'

At the presser, the one thing he left open

At the French federation's headquarters in Paris, Zinedine Zidane answered almost every question without hesitation. The exception was Kylian Mbappé. Asked whether the forward would stay on as captain, Zidane declined to commit: he had not yet spoken to Mbappé, he said, and the priority now was rest. "We'll have the chance to talk about all that soon, in September." The appointment is settled; the armband is not.

Before the announcement, Mbappé had already given his blessing. In an interview with L'Équipe he said that with Zidane there was no need to overthink it — "He's Zidane. No one is going to say no. Only he can do it." The endorsement is there. A confirmed captaincy is not, at least not yet.

The staff stays from his Real Madrid years

On his coaching staff, Zidane was more concrete. He intends to bring in, practically unchanged, the group he worked with at Real Madrid, with the formal announcement due in September. His contract runs from August 1 through the 2030 World Cup — four years. He takes over a national team Didier Deschamps led for 14 years.

Deschamps won the 2018 World Cup and reached the 2022 final before finishing fourth this summer. This was not a forced exit but a clean break, and on the evening of July 28 the federation confirmed Zidane as the successor long linked with the job.

Zidane won the 1998 home World Cup as a player and, as a manager, took Real Madrid to three straight Champions League titles from 2016 to 2018. The doubts are not about his coaching. Some in France have flagged the part of the job that has little to do with the pitch — how a notoriously guarded figure will handle the constant media exposure that comes with the national team, where results are demanded across a handful of camp days and under the eyes of a whole country.

First test: September 25, away in Turkey

Zidane's France starts moving in September. The Nations League opener is away to Turkey on the 25th, followed by Belgium three days later, and then Italy at home on October 2 — France drew Italy, Belgium and Turkey in the same group. Beyond that lie Euro 2028 and, in 2030, a World Cup co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

The generation that finished fourth at the World Cup is still young enough to carry the next four years. Zidane has not inherited a rebuild; he has inherited a team expected to win. Who captains it, and who joins his bench, are the first decisions — and they have been pushed to September, when the players are back from their break.