Zinedine Zidane named his first squad as France manager, taking over from Didier Deschamps after Les Bleus fell to eventual champions Spain in the World Cup semifinal.
The 23-man squad will report for the opening window of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League, with matches against Turkey, Belgium twice, and Italy, and it leaves out 11 players who were part of France’s run at the tournament.
Several of the absences are tied to injuries. William Saliba, Marcus Thuram, and Jean-Philippe Mateta are all out with fitness issues, while Aurélien Tchouaméni was left out as a precaution, with Zidane opting not to rush his minutes after the midfielder himself only recently returned from a muscle injury at Real Madrid.
N’Golo Kanté’s absence, meanwhile, comes down to retirement rather than form or fitness. The 35-year-old announced he was stepping away from international duty after the World Cup, and Zidane pointed to bringing in fresh blood as part of his broader plan to evolve the squad going forward.
The rest of the omissions were simply Zidane’s call as he begins to stamp his own identity on the team. Lucas Hernández, Theo Hernández, Maghnes Akliouche, Lucas Digne, and Malo Gusto were all left out without an injury or retirement behind it, and the same goes for goalkeeper Brice Samba, who was passed over in favor of Guillaume Restes between the posts.
see also
Kylian Mbappe puts Lamine Yamal’s Spain above France as ‘best team in the world’ after 2026 World Cup win
France’s full squad for this international break
- Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (Milan), Guillaume Restes (Toulouse), Robin Risser (Lens).
- Defenders: Andy Diouf (Inter Milan), Jérémy Jacquet (Liverpool), Pierre Kalulu (Juventus), Ibrahima Konaté (Real Madrid), Jules Koundé (Barcelona), Maxence Lacroix (Chelsea), Adrien Truffert (Bournemouth), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich).
- Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City), Lucas Da Cunha (Como), Manu Koné (Roma), Adrien Rabiot (Milan), Warren Zaïre-Emery (PSG).
- Forwards: Bradley Barcola (Liverpool), Ousmane Dembélé (PSG), Désiré Doué (PSG), Estéban Lepaul (Rennes), Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich).
France’s upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures
Zidane will kick off his tenure away from home, with France traveling to face Turkey in Kocaeli on September 25. Les Bleus then head to Brussels three days later, on September 28, to take on Belgium at their place.
The schedule flips for the second half of the window, with France hosting both remaining games at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. Italy visit on October 2, before Belgium returns for a rematch on October 5, closing out Zidane’s first international break in charge.
