For all their immense talent over the years it is astonishing that Les Bleues have never competed in a major final. Laurent Bonadei’s charges are confident that EURO 2025 is the perfect chance for France to banish that unwanted major tournament déjà vu.
France geared up for EURO 2025 with a final warm up friendly against Brazil on Friday night, exorcizing some demons in Grenoble in front of 13,00 spectators. Even if it had at one point threatened to create more. Within 12 minutes France were two goals down to the side who knocked them out of their home Olympics without a medal just last summer.
But this French side demonstrated the spirit and confidence some French sides of the past have been lacking. A double from Grace Geyoro and a brave back post header from Marie-Antoinette Katoto ensured a 3-2 victory and a positive send off. France are an enigma of women’s football, they boast the most successful club side in European history and yet have only made two major tournament semi finals, losing both.
But France are bullish about their chances this summer, star player Grace Geyoro told the Guardian recently, “I know the talents we have, I train with these girls. Honestly, we have nothing to envy in other nations.” If they can put history in the rear view mirror and look ahead, they might well stand a chance of lifting Europe’s greatest prize in front of a sea of tricolour flags.
Head coach Laurent Bonadei rolls the dice
This is Laurent Bonadei’s first job in a head coach role, so you could understand the concern in some quarters when Bonadei was appointed. Aside from an initially shaky start, Bonadei and his French side have sailed through 2025. Bonadei has favoured a conventional 4-3-3 formation this year and it has bore fruit for his side, with eight wins from eight matches telling its own story. France have also scored 22 goals and conceded just four in the process.
Before the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, the final straw for the French Football Federation for the turbulent tenure of Corine Diacre, was captain Wendie Renard withdrawing herself from selection. And yet this time around it was the head coach who chose to exclude the French legend from the squad. Renard was captain at the time and her vice captain, a player with over 200 caps for France and their record goal scorer, Eugénie Le Sommer was also left out.
Still, Bonadei seems to have the faith of his players. Grace Geyoro noted that Bonadei took the time to explain his decision and justify why he left Renard, Le Sommer and Kenza Dali at home. Geyoro recently told the Guardian “I know that he believes in us more than anyone else.” Griege Mbock Bathy will be given the honour of captaining her nation at the EUROs.
This time last year France stood second in the FIFA World rankings, they are now tenth. But that is not something that worries Bonadei, in fact, he relishes the fact that France are in a group with two European Champions, and are considered outsiders. As a head coach you live, or die by your decisions and Bonadei has made some huge ones coming into the summer of his first major tournament.
Can Griege Mbock Bathy step up for France at EURO 2025?
Bonadei noted upon revealing his squad “I want different results for this team so I have gone with a different selection.” Principal among that different selection was dropping captain Wendie Renard and installing Griege Mbock as the new captain of the national team.
Mbock is an extremely popular figure in the French dressing room and has had a leadership role long before receiving the physical armband. She reads the game exceptionally well, and is a talented combative defender. Mbock won the Golden Ball when France won the under 17s World Cup in 2012. And surely a career highlight of hers was an incredible goal line clearance against Brazil at the World Cup in 2019, a match that France won to put themselves into the quarter final.
Mbock will have support in her new leadership role, Bonadei appointed three vice captains for the tournament in Geyoro, Sandie Toletti and Sakina Karchaoui.
Mbock’s recent career has been tormented by injuries, having been out for much of the past few years. Sadly some injury concerns reared their head again as Mbock sat out the final pre-European Championship friendly against Brazil. But it appears more likely to be a precaution. Should she be able to return for the opening match, her presence would be a huge boost in facing the holders.
Sensational Sandy Baltimore ready to light up France’s EURO 2025
One of the best players in European football this year, Sandy Baltimore is quickly becoming her nation’s most important player. Versatile, Baltimore has played at left back, left wing back and left wing this season for club and country and has thrived in all three.
No player scored more than her five goals in League A of the UEFA Women’s Nations League this year. She was also one of the best players in the Barclays Women’s Super League, managing nine goals and six assists for Chelsea this season. Baltimore also put in a player of the match performance against Manchester United in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley. The victory ensured her club side Chelsea completed the domestic treble in her first season at the club.
French defensive players to watch at EURO 2025
France have a squad flush with defensive talent. Real Madrid defender Maëlle Lakrar has formed a formidable partnership at centre back with Mbock and is a likely starter.
Moving slightly further up the pitch one of the big tactical successes of the Bonadei era so far has been in moving Sakina Karchaoui from left back into midfield. France have an embarrassment of riches at left back with Selma Bacha making the position her own. Karchaoui has pushed into midfield which means she can affect the game more and switch positions with Bacha at times to no end of opposition confusion. Bacha herself is vital for France, the player of the match in the champions league final a couple of years ago, she relishes the big occasion.
Nicknamed the hulk, Pauline Peyraud-Magnin has unquestionably become the French number one. She gained her nickname from wearing a hulk body warmer during every match. The former Arsenal, now Juventus number one made some crucial saves against Brazil to keep her nation in with a shout of a comeback in their final pre tournament friendly.
Élisa de Almeida is another player to watch for France. A natural centre back, she has been asked to fill in at right back. Watch out for her ability to let fly from a corner on the volley. She almost scored against Brazil on Friday connecting with a cross into the box perfectly, and did score against England in quite spectacular fashion.
Did you know? Peyraud-Magnin was the first active France international to come out as a lesbian, she spoke to L’Équipe at the time, “I don’t want to hide who I am, it’s normal for me.”
French attackers to watch at EURO 2025
Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani both had 15 goal involvements in the league this season. Diani had 10 in the UEFA Champions League also, including the opening goal in the semi final. Katoto, is a generational talent, top goal scorer in the Olympic games last summer despite France playing two matches less than four other sides, she is lethal in front of goal. Except Diani to play on the wing with Katoto through the middle, Diani was also the first French player to score a hat trick at a World Cup.
Grace Geyoro is on wonderful form for her nation, she has scored four goals in her last four matches from midfield. Geyoro won both underage EUROs and the World Cup with France and has the vision and awareness to keep France ticking in the centre of the park. Sandie Toletti of Real Madrid anchors the team from midfield alongside Geyoro and Karchaoui.
Delphine Cascarino, is one of a number of French players to make a move to the NWSL stick. She is a classy footballer and expect her to light up the wing for France when given the opportunity. She may be joined in attack by Première Ligue Player of the Season Clara Matteo who had a sensational season at club level this year. Matteo was the top scorer and top assister all while playing for a side outside the traditional top two in OL Lyonnes or PSG, she scored 18 times and assisted 8.
Melvine Malard has been on electric form for her nation too, she scored a hat-trick against Belgium in a 5-0 win, just a couple of weeks before France’s first match.
France stats to impress your friends
- Grace Geyoro scored a first half hat trick against Italy in the opening match of EURO 2022. That was the first time any player had done so in a European Championships and she did it on her 50th cap for France.
- Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor is the only French player to score a goal in a major tournament semi final, she levelled the scores against the USWNT at the World Cup in 2011, but France went on to lose 3-1.
France’s EURO 2025 Fantasy picks
Record against France’s Euro 2025 group opponents
France and England’s rivalry stretches back as far as the 1920s when Dick Kerr ladies represented England in a number of matches against the French. A century on and most recently the two sides traded victories in EURO 2025 qualifying. An impressive 2-1 win for France at St James’ Park was followed by defeat by the same score line in Saint-Étienne.
It was England’s draws against Sweden and France’s ability to get over the line against the Swedes that earned the French top spot in the group. Both sides have a history of knocking each other out of major tournaments too, France ended England’s 2011 World Cup run and England knocked France out of EURO 2017.
One of France’s other group opponents, Netherlands, the French met in the quarter finals of the last European Championships. France were far superior on the night but encountered an inspired Daphne van Domselaar in goal for the Dutch. The Arsenal number one made it as tough as possible for Les Bleues but they were able to scrap past with a penalty to make their first ever European Championship semi final and knock out the holders in the process.
Finally France face Wales in Group D. The last time the two met was in qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in 2023, the match up resulted in two narrow wins for the French who topped their group and qualified for the finals automatically. It was a sign of the Welsh development as a decade earlier both had met in qualifying for EURO 2013 with France winning both matches by 4-1 and 4-0 score lines.
Goal for France at EURO 2025
It is undeniable that France have a team with the capabilities and talent to win the European Championships this summer. However, handed an uncharitable draw, they have their work cut out for them.
A return to the latter stages of this tournament: the semi finals or even a first major final would be considered progress, even if they would not admit it, and it would demonstrate a level of consistency Les Bleues have never previously managed.
