France expected to announce Zinedine Zidane as its new coach early next week

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PARIS (AP) — France's new coach will be announced next Tuesday, when Zinedine Zidane is widely expected to replace Didier Deschamps.

The French Football Federation said in a statement on Thursday that its president Philippe Diallo will name the coach at a news conference at the headquarters in Paris.

The 54-year-old Zidane has not coached since leaving Real Madrid in 2021. The midfield great coached Madrid to three straight Champions League titles from 2016-18.

Deschamps was in charge of France for 14 years and stepped down after the World Cup, where Les Bleus lost in the semifinals to Spain.

France won the World Cup under Deschamps in 2018 and lost the final on penalties in 2022. Les Bleus also lost the European Championship final on home soil in 2016.

Zinedine was France's playmaker when it won the 1998 World Cup, scoring twice in the final in a 3-0 win against Brazil, and starred two years later when France won the European Championship. He won the men’s Ballon d’Or in 1998.

Zidane played 108 games for France scoring 31 goals, including a deft Panenka-style penalty in the 2006 World Cup final, which Les Bleus lost after he was sent off in extra time for headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the chest.

France's next games are away to Turkey in the Nations League on Sept. 25, followed by a match in Belgium three days later. France then faces Italy at the Stade de France on Oct. 2.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer