Corentin Martins agrees to contract extension with Madagascar

Malagasy Football Federation (FMF) has agreed to extend the contract of head coach Corentin Martins. The French coach had been out of contract since late January 2026, as talks were ongoing to extend his stay with the Barea.

🔴Sauf changement, Corentin Martins devrait signer un nouveau contrat en tant que sélectionneur des Barea.
🔗Pour lire l’article : https://t.co/srS28TKJne pic.twitter.com/ngwvY7DRkd

— 2424.mg (@2424_mg) February 19, 2026

According to local outlet 2424.mg, Martins and the federation are on good terms as their partnership continues for another term. Martins, 56, reportedly flew into Antananarivo to finalize his stay. Since his appointment as head coach, Martins has won four matches in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying and narrowly missed out on a playoff spot at the conclusion of the campaign.

Martins’s stay in Madagascar was in doubt after he applied for the Tunisia national team head coaching job last month. Nonetheless, the country’s government and the FMF have shown strong interest in continuing with the French coach, which is believed to be the catalyst for his stay in the island nation.

Martins is a well-experienced coach in Africa, following his long tenure with Mauritania. The former attacking midfielder also led Libya between 2022 and 2023. His main responsibility will be to ensure the national team’s qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Martins helped Mauritania qualify for the continent’s biggest tournament back-to-back in 2019 and 2021