Como’s Butez included in preliminary France squad for Zidane’s first camp in charge
COMO, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 10: Jean Butez of Como 1907 looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between Como 1907 and RB Leipzig at Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium on September 10, 2026 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Reports in France and Italy indicate that Como goalkeeper Jean Butez has been included on France’s preliminary squad list ahead of the extra-long September-October international break, which will see Zinedine Zidane take charge of Les Bleues for the first time.
Zidane expected to call several Serie A players to his first France squad, potentially including Butez
Zidane, called in to replace Didier Deschamps as head coach of the France national team, will begin his tenure with Nations League fixtures against Turkiye on September 25, Belgium on September 28, Italy on October 2 and Belgium again on October 5.
Like many coaches across Europe, Zidane is expected to name an extra-large squad to get him through the bumper international break. Reports in France claim that he could summon as many as 50 players in his first squad. Germany’s Jurgen Klopp has called up 44 players across two separate squads and recent reports in Italy suggest that Roberto Mancini will work with at least 30 players in the coming weeks.
Typically, national teams will compile a preliminary squad around a fortnight before their final squad announcement in order to inform the players in question, and their clubs, about the possibility of their being selected.
Several names from Zidane’s preliminary squad have been leaked in France over the last few days and the latest updates from l’Equipe on Thursday indicate that Como’s Butez is among the longlist.
Recent reports claim that Inter’s Andy Diouf is also in the France preliminary squad, as is Juventus’s Pierre Kalulu.
There are also several other more established France internationals based in Serie A who are likely to be involved, including Milan pair Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot, Inter striker Marcus Thuram and Roma midfielder Manu Kone.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.