The Manchester United defender had been touted as a potential successor to Hugo Lloris as France's next captain after the Tottenham Hotspurs goalkeeper retired from international football last month.
But Varane has stunned his country by following Lloris out of the exit door at an age many will view as tender.
The former Real Madrid defender amassed 93 caps for France after making his debut in 2013, helping them win the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and the UEFA Nations League in 2021.
His last appearance for France came in December's World Cup final defeat to Argentina in Qatar.
On Wednesday, Varane shared an Instagram post confirming his retirement from the international stage.
"Representing our great country for a decade has been one of the greatest honours of my life," Varane wrote.
"Every time I wore this very special blue jersey I felt immense pride. The duty to give it [my] all, play my heart out and win every time we went on the field. I've been contemplating this for several months and decided it's the right time for me to retire.
"As a child, I remember following France 98, this team, these players who made us experience indescribable emotions. I dreamed of being our heroes and 20 years later I lived one of the best experiences of my life.
"We brought home the World Cup!! I will never forget it. I still feel every single one of the emotions felt on that day, July 15, 2018. That was one of the most amazing and memorable moments of my life.
"This victory that we won all together would never have been possible without the support of [coach] Didier Deschamps, every member of the management and staff over the years, and my team-mates who have defended our shirt in every game we played.
"But more importantly, this victory would not have been possible without every single one of you supporting us along the way. Even after the defeat in the final last year, you welcomed us as heroes when we returned. To each and every one of you, THANK YOU a thousand times!
"I will miss these moments with you for sure, but the time has come for the new generation to take over. We have a bunch of talented young players who are ready to take over, who deserve a chance and who need you."
