France, Turkey and Zinedine Zidane
25 September 2026
France began Zinedine Zidane’s tenure with a 1-0 Nations League victory away to Turkey. Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal in the 54th minute, making Zidane the first France coach since Aime Jacquet in 1994 to win his opening match.
Turkey goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir was later sent off after handling outside his penalty area to stop Bradley Barcola. France held on for three points, beginning Zidane’s international coaching career with victory despite Mbappe leaving the match injured shortly after scoring.