Zidane comes home as France face Italy in the Nations League
Zinedine Zidane led France at home for the first time on Friday 2 October 2026, against Italy at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.
Kick-off was 7:45pm BST, 8:45pm local time and 2:45pm ET. It was a Nations League Group A1 game, part of UEFA's competition that puts national teams into leagues and groups rather than one-off friendlies. The Guardian covered the match live, minute by minute, from the ground.
Zidane arrived with a clean start. He had won his first two games as France manager. Both were 1-0 wins away from home, against Belgium and Turkey. The win in Turkey came from a second-half goal in his opening week in charge.
Now came the home debut. It was also his first meeting with Italy since 9 July 2006. That date alone gave the night an extra edge. The noise was guaranteed.
Italy arrived with mixed form. Roberto Mancini is in his second spell in charge. His side lost 2-0 at home to Belgium to open this campaign on 25 September. They then won 4-1 away in Turkey before travelling to France.
France had to do it without Kylian Mbappe. He was out injured for the Italy game. Zidane was pictured with his squad in Saint-Denis on 1 October, including forward Esteban Lepaul. The squad looked relaxed. The task was not.
The stands told their own story. The French Football Federation said extra places had been made available for this match and for France against Belgium on Monday 5 October. Italy were allocated 3,715 tickets for the away end, according to the Italian federation. UEFA lists League A Group A1 as France, Italy and Belgium, with the 2026/27 draw held in Brussels.
The calendar moves fast. France stay at the Stade de France to host Belgium on Monday at 8:45pm local time. Italy go to Bologna to face Turkey on 5 October at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, then meet France again in Milan on 12 November UEFA. Elsewhere on Friday night, UEFA listed Hungary against Georgia in League B Group B2, while Ukraine faced Northern Ireland at the same hour as the Paris game.
What makes this stand out is the shared memory. France against Italy always carries weight for both sets of supporters. With Zidane in the dugout at home for the first time, strangers in the same stand had a new moment to feel together.
