Saint-Denis is ready for Zinédine Zidane’s home debut. France will face Italy in the Nations League on Friday at 20:45 before an expected 80,000 spectators, with every ticket from the initial sale snapped up within minutes.
The move
Zidane takes charge of France at the Stade de France for the first time after beginning his tenure with two 1-0 victories, away in Turkey and Belgium. Both matches drew more than six million viewers on TF1, delivering audience shares of 37.7% and 32.9% respectively.
The figures were especially notable for a Nations League campaign, a competition not always regarded as a major television draw. On both evenings, more than one in three people watching television chose to follow Zidane’s France.
Friday’s meeting with Italy will provide the first French stadium measure of the new manager’s appeal. Italy have missed the past three World Cups, reducing some of the old glamour around the fixture, but the Stade de France will nevertheless be full.
The sell-out comes despite higher ticket prices set by the French Football Federation and the wider economic pressure on supporters, including elevated fuel costs.
The French season around it
France have not played at Saint-Denis since March 2025, when they beat Croatia 2-0 in the Nations League quarter-final second leg before prevailing 5-4 on penalties.
The return against Belgium three days after Italy could also reach full capacity. Some seats remained available early in the week in the premium sections, priced at €175 for Gold and €145 for Category 1, but these were tickets returned by partners, institutions, leagues and district bodies.
Supporters’ associations are preparing their own welcome for Zidane. A “welcome home” tifo is expected, alongside references to three significant dates from the former Real Madrid coach’s history at the Stade de France.
No official Federation ceremony is planned for Zidane’s return to the national stadium.
Security arrangements for Italy
The Italy match has been rated level two out of five by the anti-hooliganism division, with no particular security concerns identified.
Two Italian ultra groups, one from the north and one from the south, are expected to travel. Despite traditional rivalries between clubs from those regions, recent trips by the Italy national team have not produced major problems.
