The French women's volleyball team, which defeated Greece, qualifies for the round of 16 of the World Cup

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The French women's volleyball team, which defeated Greece, qualifies for the round of 16 of the World Cup

The French women's volleyball team, which defeated Greece, qualifies for the round of 16 of the World Cup
France's women's team players during their match against Brazil at the World Volleyball Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on August 24, 2025. LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA / AFP

The French volleyball team has achieved its goal: they will compete in the World Cup finals, which will take place in Bangkok until September 8. Les Bleues secured their place in the round of 16 of the competition by beating Greece in four sets (17-25, 25-21, 28-26, 25-17) on Tuesday, August 26 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Not everything in this match was perfect, far from it, but the French women did the essentials. In the next round, they will face China ( 5th in the world rankings) or the Dominican Republic ( 10th ) and will have nothing to lose.

It had been more than fifty years, since 1974, since the French national team had last participated in the competition. Long considered the weak link in team sports in the country, women's volleyball consolidated its place in the international elite at the beginning of the summer, finishing 9th in the Nations League, a competition that brings together the 18 best teams in the world.

Facing Greece ( 28th ), the French women ( 14th ) were the favorites. Especially since they had tied with Brazil, bronze medalists at the Paris Games, two days earlier (defeated in the tie-break). But the stakes were high for both teams, who could boast a victory over Puerto Rico and found themselves in the same situation: obliged to win to continue their Thai adventure.

Héléna Cazaute sounds the revolt

The French women were extremely tense and completely missed their start to the match. The Greeks, who had clearly analyzed their game on video, managed to counter the smashes of Iman Ndiaye, the French team's key weapon. Fortunately, they recovered in the second set. As is often the case, it was French captain Héléna Cazaute who sounded the revolt, ably supported by the powerful center Eva Elouga. The awakening of Amandha Sylves and Iman Ndiaye allowed the French team to equalize at one set each.

They seemed to have done the hardest part, but fell back into their old ways at the start of the third set, confusing speed with haste. The atmosphere was becoming increasingly unbearable when Héléna Cazaute tipped the scales in France's favor. While her team was trailing 15-21, the Milan receiver-attacker, who will play in Istanbul next season, used her power to allow the Blues to take the lead (28-26).

In the final set, Iman Ndiaye and Héléna Cazaute stepped on the gas, and the French team finally broke free. At the edge of the court, the substitutes even started a little dance. Symbolically, Héléna Cazaute concluded the duel with a smash. The captain, who displayed her class and leadership throughout the match, finished as the match's top scorer, with 25 points.

Jérôme Porier (with AFP)

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