Zidane's coaching debut with France comes with a tricky trip to Turkey

Some debuts can happen on any field, and some debuts happen with an entire country watching. This is the second kind. Zinedine Zidane takes charge of France for the first time, and he does it on the road, no less, at the Yildiz Entegre Kocaeli Stadyumu, against a Turkey side eager to make the most of home advantage.

The match opens Matchday 1 of the 2026/2027 UEFA Nations League and is set for Friday, September 25. For fans following from South America, kickoff is at 3:45 p.m. (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile) and 1:45 p.m. (Colombia, Peru, Ecuador), streaming live on Disney+ Plan Premium, exclusive to that region.

A debut with costly absences

Zidane takes over after the departure of Didier Deschamps, who left the bench following the 2026 World Cup. It won't be an easy start: the Frenchman will have to manage the injury absences of Jules Koundé, William Saliba and Eduardo Camavinga, three key names whose absence opens a gap that Turkey will look to exploit on home turf.

And make no mistake about the opponent: Turkey isn't just making up the numbers. The hosts know that facing a France side missing key players, at the start of a new competition and under a first-time coach, is the kind of opening that doesn't come around often.

How both teams arrive

Both national teams are coming off the most recent World Cup, though their paths there looked very different. Turkey was eliminated in the group stage, so it arrives needing to send an early signal in this new Nations League. France, on the other hand, closed out the World Cup with a more than respectable fourth-place finish, and now begins a new chapter: the Zidane era, which kicks off precisely with this trip to Turkish soil.

The contrast between the two teams' recent histories adds an extra layer to the matchup. Turkey needs to bounce back after an early World Cup exit, while France arrives with the prestige of a semifinal run, but also with the natural uncertainty that comes with any change of cycle.

So Friday, September 25 will go down in the calendar as a double milestone: the start of the 2026/2027 Nations League, and the start of the Zidane era in charge of Les Bleus. Turkey, playing at home and hoping to capitalize on France's absences, will look to make sure the new French coach's debut doesn't start off on the right foot.