Zidane, Klopp and Xavi: Heavyweights ignite European competition among national teams

The European competition among national teams in the new season is no longer limited to the battle of stars on the pitch, as the coaching staff now includes names that have made significant history with clubs and national teams.

Attention is focused on three coaches in particular: Zinedine Zidane with France, Jürgen Klopp with Germany, and Xavi with the Netherlands, in a scene that gives the UEFA Nations League 2026-2027 a different character, as names with major experiences enter the world of national team coaching.

Zinedine Zidane begins a new era with the France national team after taking over from Didier Deschamps, and he has announced his first squad which includes five new players, reflecting his desire to identify as many talents as possible ahead of upcoming challenges. Zidane will lead France in his first official test against Türkiye on September 25, before facing Belgium, Italy, and Belgium again.

Zinedine Zidane's return to the French national team carries additional significance; he does not return as an ordinary coach, but as one of the most prominent symbols of French football, after leading Real Madrid to a series of major successes, before finally getting the opportunity to lead his national team. The coach will also work on building a new generation with Kylian Mbappé continuing as the captain of the team.

In Germany, Jürgen Klopp begins a completely different experience after many years of success at club level. The German coach has signed a four-year contract with the German Football Association, leading the national team until the UEFA Euro 2028 and the FIFA World Cup 2030.

Klopp has announced his first squad of 44 players divided into two groups for four matches in the UEFA Nations League, starting with Germany facing the Netherlands in Amsterdam on September 24, followed by Greece, before matches against Serbia and Greece in October.

Xavi Hernández is embarking on his first experience with a national team as he takes charge of the Netherlands with a contract lasting until the FIFA World Cup 2030. The Spanish coach has made it clear from the outset that he wants to implement a style based on possession and initiative, emphasizing that the interests of the group come before any individual considerations.

Xavi's decision to exclude Memphis Depay from his first squad is one of his early notable choices, while he has retained Virgil van Dijk as captain of the Netherlands. Xavi is preparing for his first test against Germany on September 24 in the UEFA Nations League.

Notably, the three coaches enter this stage with different ideas and varied experiences; Zinedine Zidane knows French national football and its history from the inside, Jürgen Klopp is moving to coach a national team for the first time after a long career in clubs, while Xavi is trying to transfer his ideas based on possession and building play to the Netherlands national team.

Here lies one of the standout stories of the new Nations League season: European national teams are not only competing for results, but are also witnessing a tactical struggle between different coaching schools, led by coaches with world-renowned names.

As the matches approach, the clash between Germany and Netherlands will be one of the early highlights of this new era, while the French public awaits Zinedine Zidane's first appearance with his national team.

While these projects start from almost zero, the coming years will reveal how Zidane, Klopp, and Xavi will succeed in transforming their experiences with clubs into projects capable of competing in international football, especially with the major upcoming tournaments.