Zidane will walk out to a sold-out Stade de France on Friday for his first game as France head coach on home ground, and Deschamps, the man he replaced in the summer after 14 years in the job, will not be honoured on the pitch before kick-off.

The federation has chosen to hold off on any public farewell during the October window, according to RMC Sport, citing “timing” and a preference to concentrate attention on Zidane’s return.

Nothing is planned for France’s next home fixture either, a 15 November meeting with Turkey. If a ceremony is arranged at all, it would be pencilled in for the international window next spring, and only if Les Bleus reach the Nations League quarter-finals in March.

All 80,000 seats sold for Zidane’s home debut

The Italy fixture has sold every one of its 80,000 seats, the federation announced, with kick-off set for 8:45pm local time on Friday at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

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Speaking to reporters on 29 September, Zidane balanced anticipation with the strain of a heavy schedule.

“Am I looking forward to the match? Yes. I’m not going to tell you we can’t wait because the players now need to rest,” he said.

“We haven’t had much rest, there’s been a lot of travelling and few training sessions, but we’ll have a little more time for that now but yes, we’ll be happy to get to Friday, to the Stade de France, with our fans and above all, with those six points.”

France arrive in Saint-Denis with a perfect record under Zidane. Two matches, two 1-0 wins away from home, first in Izmit against Turkey on 25 September and then in Brussels three days later.

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A 14-year tenure ends without a farewell

Deschamps stepped down after France finished fourth at the 2026 World Cup this summer, closing the longest managerial run in the national team’s history. He led Les Bleus to the 2018 World Cup title, the 2020-21 Nations League and the finals of Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup, and finished with 120 wins from 185 matches in the dugout.

Zidane was appointed his successor on 28 July on a four-year contract. The two men lifted the 1998 World Cup together as players for France.

For now, the only ceremony at the Stade de France on Friday is the one built around Zidane’s homecoming. The earliest window for a formal farewell to Deschamps is the March 2027 international break, and only if France finish in the top two of Nations League Group A1.

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