Football

Zinédine Zidane announces his second squad for the Blues

France coach Zinédine Zidane reveals the list of 23 players for the Nations League matches against Italy and Turkey.

6 November 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

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Archive photo: Zinédine Zidane announces his second squad for the Blues — Archive photoPhoto: Kermaguer · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

Zinédine Zidane unveiled on Friday the list of 23 players who will participate in the upcoming matches of the French national team in the Nations League. The Blues will face Italy on November 12 and Turkey on November 15.

Among the new call-ups, notable mentions include the return of Aurélien Tchouaméni and the surprise selection of Pablo Pagis, an attacking midfielder from Paris FC. Pagis becomes the first player from his club to be called up to the national team since 1973, following his strong season at Lorient.

Kylian Mbappé, who had been positioned on the left flank in previous call-ups, will be shifted to a central striking role due to the absence of Ousmane Dembélé, who is sidelined. Zidane specifically mentioned this change during the press conference.

The selection of three goalkeepers, namely Mike Maignan, Guillaume Restes, and Jean Butez, is expected to remain unchanged from the last matches, according to sources from RMC Sport.

Zinédine Zidane also confirmed that he intends to continue with the momentum from his start in charge of the team, which has so far resulted in three victories and one draw.

This announcement for the upcoming matches comes as the team prepares for the group stage of the competition, making these choices particularly scrutinized by fans and commentators.

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