Zinedine Zidane will succeed Didier Deschamps as France national team head coach in the summer, with a verbal agreement already reached between the former Real Madrid star and the Fédération Française de Football (FFF), sources have told ESPN.

Didier Deschamps departing from the France national team after 14 successful years has been the worst kept secret in French football and Zidane, who finished his second stint as Los Blancos manager in 2021, has been long destined for the role.

At 53, Zidane had been waiting for his fellow 1998 World Cup winner to leave in order for him to take the job.

He has had to wait longer than he first thought he would but he will officially be appointed once the 2026 World Cup is concluded for France.

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The last detail to iron out before he can sign his contract is over his staff and how big his team can be.

In an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro published on Sunday, the head of the FFF, Philippe Diallo admitted for the first time that he knew who Deschamp’s successor was going to be.

“I know who it is” was his answer. He didn’t reveal Zidane’s name but sources have told ESPN that it will be him.

Houston Astros star Carlos Correa detailed a harrowing ordeal he and his son faced on a Minnesota lake last summer.

Correa and his 3-year-old son were swimming in Lake Minnetonka when his legs began to cramp up. With his son clinging to him, Correa noticed a buoy a few feet away and swam to it in a last-ditch effort to stay alive.

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He said he turned to God to help him through the strenuous time.

“’Lord, save me,’” he told MLB.com. “‘I promise you that if you save me from this one, I will serve you and I will serve you forever.’”

Correa wasn’t out of the woods yet when he got to the buoy. He slipped and fell under the water. As he struggled to stay above the water, he yelled out to a boat for help. Correa’s father-in-law, who was on the boat, noticed the MLB player struggling and swam out to help him.

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Houston Astros infielder Carlos Correa works during spring training at CACTI Park of The Palm Beaches on Feb. 15, 2026. (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)

“I was like, ‘From that moment on, I’m going to serve you,’” Correa said he told God in that moment. “I am going to keep my promise. And from that moment, I’ve been fully devoted.”

Houston acquired Correa in a trade with the Minnesota Twins last July. It ended up being his second stint with the Astros as he continues to be on the team at the start of the 2026 season.

He played 51 games for the Astros in 2025, hitting .290 with six home runs.

Correa played eight years for the Astros from 2015 to 2021 before he signed a deal with the Twins. He was a two-time All-Star in his first run with Houston, won a World Series and was the 2017 American League Rookie of the Year.

Houston Astros third baseman Carlos Correa warms up for the Texas Rangers game at Daikin Park on Sept. 15, 2025. (Erik Williams/Imagn Images)

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He’s set to be in the lineup once again for opening day. The lineup includes Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez.

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Former U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe spoke out in support of the Iranian women’s soccer team amid the players’ trials and tribulations over the last few weeks while competing in Australia.

The Iranian women’s soccer team was in Australia earlier this month to compete in the Women’s Asian Cup. Players were seen refusing to sing their country’s national anthem as the U.S. and Israel launched a joint military campaign on the Iranian regime. The players were dubbed “wartime traitors” by an Iranian broadcaster for their decisions during the tournament.

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Australian officials then raced to try to get the players asylum in the country. At least two players stayed in Australia while the rest of the team made it back to Iran.

Rapinoe praised the “bravery and courage” of the women.

“I’m just thinking about this in the context of, like, the immense pressure that these young adults and these young women are under to make a decision like this,” she said on the “A Touch More” podcast. “Like, the incredible courage and bravery it would take knowing what that could potentially mean for their family back home. The bravery and courage to protest the national anthem, basically in protest of the Iranian regime and not singing the national anthem during a match. The stress and uncertainty they’re facing – their family, their loved ones. What does that all mean for back home?

“I, of course, fully support their decisions to seek asylum and seek a better life and to try to escape an incredibly oppressive regime in that situation. I don’t know what’s going on with them and why some of them left and however that is. I hope the ones that returned home have done so under their own free will and choice and that their families are safe, that they’re safe, and their friends are safe. I hope the ones that have chosen to stay feel a sense of peace and hope about a potential for a new life in Australia or otherwise.”

Iran players react during their national anthem ahead of the Women’s Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAP Image via AP)

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Rapinoe added that she was “in awe of their courage.”

The former U.S. soccer star faced scrutiny for not speaking out as the saga was unfolding in the country. Piers Morgan was among those who labeled Rapinoe as “hypocritical.”

“The silence over this from Rapinoe, and so many supposed ‘feminists’ like her, is so telling, damning, and hypocritical,” he wrote in a social media post. “They’d rather campaign for biological men to wreck women’s sport than campaign for these heroic young sportswomen to help save their lives.” 

She didn’t address her critics in her latest podcast episode with Sue Bird.

Initially, seven of the Iranian women’s soccer players accepted asylum but turned around and declined the opportunity at the last minute. Two players who stayed were seen training with one of the country’s premier clubs last week.

The Australian government faced criticism for not working fast enough to get to the players.

“We ended up with an outcome that is certainly far from ideal,” Graham Thom, an advocacy coordinator for the Refugee Council of Australia, told The Associated Press.

Iran players pose for a team photo ahead of the Women’s Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia on Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAPImage via AP)

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“Hopefully the two who are remaining get the protection they need, but we just hope that those who have returned are also safe.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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