Zinedine Zidane has reached a verbal agreement to become France's next head coach, with ESPN and Al Jazeera both reporting the deal on March 24 - ending years of speculation and confirming what many in French football had long expected.

The 53-year-old will take over from Didier Deschamps following this summer's World Cup in the United States, bringing to a close a 14-year tenure that delivered France's second world title and two consecutive tournament finals.

The End of an Era for Deschamps

Deschamps has managed Les Bleus since 2012, a tenure unmatched in the modern era of French football. He guided the side to the 2018 World Cup title in Russia - beating Croatia 4-2 in the final and becoming only the third man to win the tournament as both a player and a manager - before steering France to a second consecutive final in Qatar in 2022, which they lost 4-2 on penalties to Argentina after a dramatic 3-3 draw.

In January 2025, Deschamps confirmed he would not seek an extension beyond the 2026 tournament, making the succession a matter of when rather than if. His contract expires after this summer's competition concludes in the United States.

The handover will be between former teammates. Zidane and Deschamps were central figures in France's 1998 golden generation - the squad that won the World Cup on home soil and reached the Euro 2000 final two years later. They now pass the baton at national team level, with both men among the most decorated footballers in the history of the game.

Zidane's Coaching Staff at the Centre of Talks

Negotiations between Zidane and the Fédération Française de Football have been in advanced stages for weeks, according to both ESPN and Al Jazeera.

The key discussions have centred on Zidane's coaching staff, with his longtime Real Madrid assistant David Bettoni expected to anchor the backroom setup.

Bettoni worked alongside Zidane through both his spells at the Bernabéu - the first running from 2016 to 2018, when the side won three consecutive Champions League titles, and the second from 2019 until Zidane's resignation in May 2021.

Zidane has not taken a management role since that departure, a near-five-year absence from the dugout that only heightened expectations of his eventual appointment with France.

As a player, Zidane earned 108 caps for Les Bleus, scored 31 goals, and was a cornerstone of the 1998 World Cup-winning squad. He claimed the Ballon d'Or that same year and was named FIFA World Player of the Year three times during his playing career, cementing his place among the top goalscorers of all time for the national team.

France begin their 2026 World Cup campaign in Group I alongside Senegal and Norway - Erling Haaland's side making its first World Cup appearance since 1998. The group stage runs from June 11 to June 27, with Zidane set to officially assume the role once the tournament concludes. For those looking at World Cup betting odds, France remain among the favourites to lift the trophy before Deschamps hands over the reins.