Zidane fever grips France

Zidane fever grips France In the months between the 2024 Euros and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, there was a malaise that gripped the French public, who became less enamoured and more ambivalent towards their national football team. That disinterest was reflected not only in attendance at stadia, but also in viewing figures. A fresh momentum was needed and it has been provided by the managerial change. Didier Deschamps, who won the 2018 World Cup with Les Bleus, departed at the end of the most recent World Cup after 14 years at the helm. His successor, Zinédine Zidane, is a very popular appointment. That is reflected in the viewing figures for his debut in the dugout for Les Bleus, a 1-0 win over Turkiye in the UEFA Nations League on Friday night. As per figures from Médiamétrie (via L’Équipe ), 6.82 million viewers tuned in to watch Les Bleus on TF1. That was 37.7% of the total audience. A repeat of a TV film, Les Secrets de Finistère (on France 3 ) was the second most-viewed programme (2.55 million, 14.3% of total audience share) and the broadcast of Pope Leo XIV’s vigil at the Stade de France came in third with 2.43 million viewers (13.6% of total audience share). GFFN | Luke Entwistle