France - Italy: Zidane hosts Mancini's Azzurri in his first match at the Stade de France

Two away wins, and now the Stade de France. Zinedine Zidane takes charge of France at home for the first time this Friday, 2 October 2026, against Italy, twenty years after the Berlin final. Kick-off at 20:45 CET in Saint-Denis, live on TF1 in France.

Where do Zidane's France stand?

Les Bleus sit alone at the top of group A1 with two 1-0 wins and no goals conceded: first in Izmit, through Kylian Mbappe, then in Brussels, where Michael Olise rescued a side with nine changes in the 88th minute (Belgium - France).

Mbappe, injured in the left knee in Turkey, is still out: he was ruled out of the following three matches from the start. After the rotation in Brussels, Flashscore expects the Izmit eleven to return, with Desire Doue in for the captain: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Lacroix, Truffert; Cherki, Kone, Rabiot; Olise, Dembele, Doue.

How good is Mancini's Italy?

Roberto Mancini returned in July to the job he left in 2023, after winning Euro 2021. He succeeds Gennaro Gattuso, and inherits a team that has just missed its third World Cup in a row.

His start has been mixed: beaten 2-0 by Belgium in Rome, Italy bounced back with a 4-1 win in Turkey, in Bursa. For Saint-Denis, Mancini has picked 23 players and left nine at Coverciano; Giacomo Raspadori and Nicolo Zaniolo have left the camp.

What does Zidane say about Materazzi?

Zidane's last match as a player was the 2006 World Cup final against Italy, in Berlin: a headbutt on Marco Materazzi in extra time, a red card, and a title lost on penalties. The question came back at Thursday's press conference.

"The images always remind me of it, since they are shown everywhere on a loop. I'm not proud of what I did, but I have no regrets," said the coach, who has "not at all" spoken to the defender since. He prefers other Italian memories: "Juve was quite special for me, that's where I became an important player."

What is the head-to-head record between France and Italy?

It leans towards Italy: 19 wins for the Azzurri, 12 for France and 10 draws in 41 matches. The last two meetings, in the Nations League in autumn 2024, ended with the same score: Italy won 3-1 in Paris in September, France 3-1 at San Siro in November, with two goals from Adrien Rabiot.

What is France's Nations League schedule?

France share group A1 with Belgium, Italy and Turkey. The top two go through to the quarter-finals, the bottom side drops to League B. After two matchdays:

France: 6 points
Belgium: 3 points
Italy: 3 points
Turkey: 0 points

France's fixtures: