Zinedine Zidane brings 'aura' to his first France game as coach, against Turkey in Nations League

Zinedine Zidane was asked if taking charge of his first France game on Friday will feel just as special as his playing debut for Les Bleus more than 30 years ago.

“Even more so, maybe,” a smiling Zidane said Thursday ahead of a Nations League game at Turkey. “I feel an immense emotion being at the head of this France team.”

Zidane's dream was realized when he replaced Didier Deschamps after the World Cup. His former teammate Deschamps was in charge for 14 years, winning the World Cup in 2018 and losing the 2022 final.

Now it's Zidane's chance to make his mark on a team he once starred for. Affectionately nicknamed “Zizou,” his face was beamed onto the Arc de Triomphe in Paris the night France celebrated its first World Cup triumph in 1998. Zidane scored two headers in the final in a 3-0 win over Brazil and later that year he won the Ballon d’Or. Two years later, he was instrumental in France winning the European Championship.

His rise to the top seemed almost fated, for his international career began brilliantly in 1994 with two stunning goals against the Czech Republic after coming on as a substitute.

He then won league titles with Juventus and Real Madrid and scored a brilliant volley to help Madrid win the Champions League in 2002.

Zidane understands expectations are high, given his achievements as a player and how he led Real Madrid to three straight Champions League titles as a coach.

“It’s something new. I’m taking over as head coach so people are talking about it," he said. "That makes sense.”

After facing Turkey, France plays Belgium away Monday before hosting Italy on Oct. 2 and Belgium three days later, with both those games at Stade de France.

France’s all-time top scorer Kylian Mbappé is set to captain the side against Turkey at Kocaeli Stadium stadium in İzmit, having shrugged off a minor injury.

Zidane was asked why, given that Mbappé is captain, he was not present at Thursday's pre-match news conference. Instead, it was midfielder Adrien Rabiot who spoke to the media.

“The obligation is to have one player and the coach," Zidane said. “(Mbappé) is fine. He will be ready to play tomorrow.”

Zidane can chose from six new faces in his squad.

Striker Esteban Lepaul (Rennes), defenders Leny Yoro (Manchester United) and Jeremy Jacquet (Liverpool), midfielder Lucas Da Cunha (Como), Andy Diouf (Inter Milan) and Guillaume Restes (Toulouse) are set for their debuts.

“I'm happy with what I've seen so far. The French team is open to everyone,” the 54-year-old Zidane said. “We've got a good squad, some veterans, some newcomers.”

Rabiot is one of Zidane's vice-captains along with forward Ousmane Dembélé and right back Jules Koundé.

Rabiot said the huge attention placed on Zidane gave the players a welcome back seat.

“His aura means he commands a lot of attention,” Rabiot said. “In a way, it’s a good thing that the focus is more on the coach than the players. It gives them a bit more peace and quiet."

Zidane understands the limelight but does not seek it.

“You have to accept how things are. But I’m not here for that," he said. "Winning matches is what interests me the most.”

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

France head coach Zinedine Zidane holds a press conference a day ahead of their Nations League soccer match against Turkey in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

France head coach Zinedine Zidane holds a press conference a day ahead of their Nations League soccer match against Turkey in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

France head coach Zinedine Zidane holds a press conference a day ahead of their Nations League soccer match against Turkey in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

France national soccer team coach Zinedine Zidane, right, and assistant coach David Bettoni, left, chat during a training session in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines west of Paris, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, three days ahead of France's UEFA Nations League soccer match against Turkey. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

France national soccer team coach Zinedine Zidane, center, arrives for a training session in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines west of Paris, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, three days ahead of France's UEFA Nations League soccer match against Turkey. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

France national soccer team coach Zinedine Zidane whistles as during a training session in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines west of Paris, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, three days ahead of France's UEFA Nations League soccer match against Turkey. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

France national soccer team coach Zinedine Zidane attends a training session in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines west of Paris, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, three days ahead of France's UEFA Nations League soccer match against Turkey. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told world leaders Thursday that attacking Iran “was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make” and denounced as “moral cowards” a mass of delegates who walked out of the U.N. General Assembly when he took the podium to speak.

“In defending itself, Israel is also also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall," Netanyahu said. "In fact, I want you to know that many of their leaders even thank us privately for taking out Iran’s nukes.”

When Netanyahu walked to the rostrum, a mix of cheers, boos and mass walkouts erupted. Scores of delegates trooped out and a majority of seats sat empty afterward. “Order in the hall, please,” General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman said repeatedly.

“If there are any other moral cowards who have not yet left the hall, please do so now,” Netanyahu said.

The Palestinian Mission to the U.N. said in a message to many of the 193 U.N. member nations to bring as many staff as possible to the assembly hall and “collectively walk out of the assembly” once the Israeli prime minister is announced.

“This will send a clear message to Netanyahu and his government that no one is willing to aid, abet, or be complicit in its genocide and war crimes and illegal occupation, which all peace-loving states and peoples demand must come to an end,” the message said.

Israel rejects allegations that it committed genocide and war crimes and is illegally occupying Palestinian territory. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, but the Israeli government insists they are legal.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday, delivering prerecorded remarks from his office in Ramallah after the United States denied him and other top Palestinian officials visas to attend the gathering for the second year in a row.

The 90-year-old leader's popularity at home and relevance abroad have both waned. But in his remarks, Abbas made clear he did not intend to quietly accept being sidelined.

“We will not leave our homeland. We will not accept displacement. And we will not allow anyone to decide our future on our behalf,” Abbas said.

Though world leaders have repeatedly invoked the plight of Palestinians in speeches throughout the week, Abbas urged the international community to take more tangible action against Israel.

"How long will some countries continue to remain silent about Israel, or continue supplying it with weapons that it uses against our people? The world has witnessed the enormous cost in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank," Abbas said. “What, then, is the international community waiting for before it acts to protect the Palestinian people?”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to speak in person early in the afternoon and arrived in New York in the morning.

In past years, Netanyahu has used his speech to both denounce the United Nations as biased and make Israel's case to world leaders. His address — scheduled for prime time in Israel — is the cornerstone of an abbreviated trip to the United States unfolding under the shadow of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani calling him a “war criminal” and pushing for his arrest.

Mamdani has acknowledged that New York does not have the authority to execute an International Criminal Court warrant but urged federal authorities to do so.

Israel has grown increasingly isolated throughout the war in Gaza. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping 251. At least 73,922 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's subsequent offensive, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government whose numbers are generally considered reliable by the international community.

A ceasefire agreed to by Israel and Hamas last October halted the heaviest of the fighting and led to the release of the remaining hostages yet further steps have since stalled. Israel maintains control of most of Gaza and continues to carry out airstrikes on Palestinians near military-held zones. Hamas not disarmed or relinquished power and there has been no progress toward reconstruction in the mostly destroyed territory.

As Abbas spoke, the Israeli delegations' seats in the General Assembly hall sat vacant.

“The Palestinian people face one of the most dangerous periods in their history,” Abbas said.

In Gaza, he said, “Neighborhoods, cities, refugee camps, institutions, schools, universities, hospitals, mosques, and churches have been destroyed. Every foundation of life, and the future of entire generations, has been targeted.”

Though negotiations have not taken place for years, Abbas urged the international community to push for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and said Palestinians could live “alongside the state of Israel.”

Netanyahu has said no Palestinian state will be established while he is Israel’s leader and has argued that the Palestinian Authority is not a partner for peace.

“Saving the (two-state) solution begins with preserving the land on which the Palestinian state is to be established,” he said, referring to expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank. “We do not want another process designed merely to manage the conflict while realities on the ground change every day."

Since 2005, Abbas has led the Palestinian Authority, which is the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people. But his support among Palestinians has withered during years of corruption and anger toward the authority's security cooperation with Israel.

Under Abbas, Palestine has been recognized as a country by a majority of U.N. member states. But on the ground in the West Bank, the mostly symbolic moves have not affected Israel’s decades long military occupation. Throughout the war in Gaza, Abbas and the authority have been largely sidelined from negotiations over the territory's postwar future.

The international community has instead backed President Donald Trump’s plan for a group of apolitical administrators to govern Gaza under the Board of Peace. Yet Abbas said the territory could not remain politically separate from the West Bank and east Jerusalem for the long term.

He said the Gaza Strip, east Jerusalem and the West Bank needed to be governed by “one state, one government, one law and one legitimate entity authorized to bear arms.”

The Palestinian Authority was created under a series of peace agreements with Israel in the 1990s and administers semiautonomous areas of the West Bank, while relying heavily on foreign aid.

It was ousted from Gaza after Hamas won parliamentary elections in 2006 and violently seized control the following year. Abbas was elected to what was supposed to be a four-year term in 2005. The authority has not held presidential or legislative elections since 2006, though in his speech Abbas promised that both were on the horizon. Elections have long been demanded by international donor countries as preconditions for aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Israel captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem in the 1967 war, and the Palestinians want both as part of their future state. The Palestinians and much of the international community view the settlements as illegal and as an obstacle to creating a viable, contiguous Palestinian state.

Abbas recorded the video on Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, enters to speak during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Chairs for delegates from the state of Israel are unoccupied as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks via pre-recorded video during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Likud party New Year event in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Chairs for delegates from the state of Israel are unoccupied as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks via pre-recorded video during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks via pre-recorded video after being denied a visa to attend in person during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)