Zinedine Zidane begins France tenure with 1-0 Nations League win over Turkey as Kylian Mbappé suffers knee injury

Winning debut in Turkey

Zinedine Zidane began his tenure as France manager with a 1-0 away victory against Turkey on Friday, 25 September 2026, in the opening fixture of the UEFA Nations League. The 54-year-old coach became the first France men's manager to win his opening match in charge since Aimé Jacquet in 1994, concluding a week of preparation following the end of Didier Deschamps's 14-year spell at the helm. Zidane encountered an immediate scheduling hiccup before kickoff when he missed the start of the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, while still in the stadium tunnel due to accelerated match protocol. After the final whistle, Zidane exchanged handshakes with the fourth official and Turkey manager Vincenzo Montella before returning to the dressing room. France secured all three points despite playing on what several French players described as a difficult pitch in front of an intense home crowd.

Decisive goal and Mbappé injury

The decisive moment arrived in the 54th minute when Michael Olise delivered a pass to Kylian Mbappé, who turned his right foot to beat Turkish goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır for his 67th international goal. Mbappé did not celebrate the goal, immediately limping before going down on the pitch while clutching the back of his left knee. Although the French captain attempted to continue playing, he was substituted in the 59th minute by Désiré Doué and headed directly into the dressing room. Post-match medical assessments confirmed that Mbappé suffered a tendon injury resulting from a hyperextension during the shooting motion. The French Football Federation confirmed that Mbappé will leave the national team camp to return to Real Madrid for treatment, ruling him out of France's next three Nations League fixtures.

“The news is not good. Kylian will have to go home. He has a tendon injury in his knee. We are not going to take any risks.”

Tactical adjustments and squad rotation

Zidane deployed a 4-3-3 formation that retained eight regular starters from the previous era while introducing positional adjustments across the pitch. Rayan Cherki operated in an advanced midfield role, while Adrien Truffert made his second international appearance at left-back and Maxence Lacroix stepped into central defence in the absence of injured pair William Saliba and Ibrahima Konaté. Manu Koné started in a deeper defensive midfield position tasked with ball recovery, while Ousmane Dembélé featured centrally in the attacking line to coordinate high pressing. Attacker Estéban Lepaul entered the match in the second half to earn his first senior cap for France, helping the team preserve its one-goal advantage. The tactical approach emphasised quick ball recovery and defensive pressing, though Turkish counter-attacks found occasional space behind the French midfield.

“We know that it is a difficult pitch and we played a very good match overall. We knew the stadium was hot here in Turkey, that it was going to be difficult. We are happy with ourselves, with our match.”

Training overhaul and upcoming fixtures

During the buildup at the Clairefontaine national football centre, Zidane moved training sessions to the Michel Platini pitch instead of the Pierre Pibarot field used throughout Deschamps's tenure. The manager conducted drills hands-on alongside assistant David Bettoni and goalkeeping coach Fabien Barthez, who worked closely with goalkeepers Jean Butez and Guillaume Restes. France faces a demanding opening window of four Nations League matches scheduled across a ten-day span. The team travels to face Belgium on Monday, 28 September, before hosting Italy on 2 October and Belgium on 5 October at the Stade de France. Zidane stated that the squad will use the upcoming recovery days to prepare for those fixtures after completing only three and a half training sessions together prior to the match in Turkey.

1. Sep 25, 20261-0 away victory against Turkey
2. Sep 28, 2026Away match against Belgium
3. Oct 2, 2026Home match against Italy at Stade de France
4. Oct 5, 2026Home match against Belgium at Stade de France