France women's national handball team

The France women's national handball team is the national team of France. It is governed by the French Handball Federation and takes part in international handball competitions.

France
Information
Nickname	Les Bleues (The Blues)
Association	French Handball Federation
Coach	Sébastien Gardillou
Assistant coach	David Burguin
Captain	Estelle Nze Minko
Most caps	Isabelle Wendling (338)
Most goals	Véronique Pecqueux-Rolland (898)
Colours
1st 2nd
Results
Summer Olympics
Appearances	7 (First in 2000)
Best result	1st (2020)
World Championship
Appearances	16 (First in 1986)
Best result	1st (2003, 2017, 2023)
European Championship
Appearances	13 (First in 2000)
Best result	1st (2018)
Last updated on Unknown.

France women's national handball team

Medal record
Olympic Games
	2020 Tokyo	Team
	2016 Rio de Janeiro	Team
	2024 Paris	Team
World Championship
	2003 Croatia
	2017 Germany
	2023 Denmark/Norway/Sweden
	1999 Denmark/Norway
	2009 China
	2011 Brazil
	2021 Spain
European Championship
	2018 France
	2020 Denmark
	2002 Denmark
	2006 Sweden
	2016 Sweden

Results

Olympic Games

Games	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1976 Montreal	did not qualify
1980 Moscow
1984 Los Angeles
1988 Seoul
1992 Barcelona
1996 Atlanta
2000 Sydney	6th	7	3	0	4	180	177	+3
2004 Athens	4th	7	3	0	4	179	182	−3
2008 Beijing	5th	8	4	0	4	219	217	+2
2012 London	5th	6	4	1	1	147	126	+21
2016 Rio de Janeiro		8	6	0	2	188	164	+24
2020 Tokyo		8	5	1	2	230	209	+21
2024 Paris		8	7	0	1	237	204	+33
2028 Los Angeles	TBD
Total	6/12	52	32	2	18	1380	1280	+100

World Championship

Year	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	+/–
1957	did not qualify
1962
1965
1971
1973
1975
1978
1982
1986	15th	6	1	0	5	89	121	−32
1990	14th	6	2	0	4	114	137	−23
1993	did not qualify
1995
1997	10th	6	3	0	3	160	125	+35
1999	2nd	9	7	0	2	213	178	+35
2001	5th	9	7	0	2	246	207	+39
2003	1st	10	9	0	1	282	224	+58
2005	12th	8	3	0	5	212	199	+13
2007	5th	10	7	0	3	287	251	+36
2009	2nd	10	7	0	3	258	219	+39
2011	2nd	9	7	0	2	268	204	+64
2013	6th	7	6	0	1	173	121	+52
2015	7th	9	5	1	3	227	194	+33
2017	1st	9	7	1	1	236	189	+47
2019	13th	7	4	1	2	191	138	+53
2021	2nd	9	8	0	1	240	197	+43
2023	1st	9	9	0	0	290	228	+62
2025	Qualified
2027	TBD
2029
2031
Total	16/28	133	92	3	38	3486	2932	+554

European Championship

Year	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GS	GA	+/–
1994	did not qualify
1996
1998
2000	5th	6	4	0	2	150	125	+25
2002	3rd	8	5	0	3	189	191	−2
2004	11th	6	1	0	5	153	177	−24
2006	3rd	8	5	0	3	203	196	+7
2008	14th	3	0	0	3	74	83	−9
2010	5th	7	5	0	2	168	153	+15
2012	9th	6	3	0	3	140	131	+9
2014	5th	7	5	1	1	168	150	+18
2016	3rd	8	6	0	2	183	164	+19
2018	1st	8	6	1	1	217	181	+36
2020	2nd	8	6	1	1	209	179	+30
2022	4th	8	6	0	2	222	177	+45
2024	4th	9	7	0	2	255	211	+44
2026	TBD
2028
Total	13/18	92	59	3	30	2331	2118	+213

Other tournaments

• 1987 Mediterranean Games – 2nd
• 1989 Carpathian Trophy – 3rd
• 1991 Mediterranean Games – 2nd
• 1993 Mediterranean Games – 2nd
• 1997 Mediterranean Games – Winner
• 2001 Mediterranean Games – Winner
• 2005 Mediterranean Games – 4th
• 2009 Mediterranean Games – Winner
• 2002 Møbelringen Cup – 3rd
• 2004 Møbelringen Cup – 2nd
• 2006 Møbelringen Cup – 3rd
• 2012 Møbelringen Cup – Winner
• 2014 Møbelringen Cup – 3rd
• 2016 Møbelringen Cup – 4th
• 2018 Møbelringen Cup – 2nd
• GF World Cup '07 – 2nd
• GF World Cup '08 – 3rd
• GF World Cup '10 – 3rd
• GF World Cup '11 – 3rd
• 2014–15 Golden League – 2nd

Team

Current squad

The 20 player squad for the 2024 European Women's Handball Championship.^[1][2]

Head coach: Sébastien Gardillou

Caps and goals as of 15 December 2024.

No. Pos. Name Date of birth (age) Height App. Goals Club 1 GK Laura Glauser (1993-08-20) 20 August 1993 (age 32) 1.78 m 144 3 Ferencvárosi TC 3 RW Alicia Toublanc (1996-05-03) 3 May 1996 (age 29) 1.69 m 64 176 SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea 4 RW Pauline Coatanea (1993-07-06) 6 July 1993 (age 32) 1.65 m 81 141 Brest Bretagne Handball 5 LB Clarisse Mairot (2001-01-27) 27 January 2001 (age 24) 1.70 m 9 6 Brest Bretagne Handball 6 LW Chloé Valentini (1995-04-19) 19 April 1995 (age 30) 1.65 m 109 328 Metz Handball 8 LW Coralie Lassource (1992-09-01) 1 September 1992 (age 32) 1.70 m 110 180 Brest Bretagne Handball 10 CB Grâce Zaadi (1993-07-07) 7 July 1993 (age 32) 1.71 m 202 403 CSM București 12 GK Floriane André (2000-05-30) 30 May 2000 (age 25) 1.85 m 18 2 Brest Bretagne Handball 20 RB Laura Flippes (1994-12-13) 13 December 1994 (age 30) 1.71 m 152 299 Metz Handball 21 LB Orlane Kanor (1997-06-16) 16 June 1997 (age 28) 1.78 m 110 235 Ferencvárosi TC 22 CB Tamara Horacek (1995-11-05) 5 November 1995 (age 29) 1.78 m 106 217 RK Krim 23 RB Déborah Lassource (1999-09-29) 29 September 1999 (age 25) 1.72 m 43 37 Borussia Dortmund Handball 26 P Pauletta Foppa (2000-12-22) 22 December 2000 (age 24) 1.77 m 107 275 Brest Bretagne Handball 27 LB Estelle Nze Minko (c) (1991-08-11) 11 August 1991 (age 34) 1.71 m 208 517 Győri ETO KC 29 P Oriane Ondono (1996-04-14) 14 April 1996 (age 29) 1.80 m 45 44 Brest Bretagne Handball 31 RW Lucie Granier (1999-05-11) 11 May 1999 (age 26) 1.67 m 64 131 Metz Handball 32 P Sarah Bouktit (2002-08-27) 27 August 2002 (age 23) 1.82 m 43 67 Metz Handball 34 CB Léna Grandveau (2003-01-21) 21 January 2003 (age 22) 1.71 m 45 64 Metz Handball 99 GK Hatadou Sako (1995-10-21) 21 October 1995 (age 29) 1.73 m 38 0 Győri ETO KC

Coaching staff

Role	Name	Start year
Head coach	Sébastien Gardillou	2024
Assistant coach	David Burgin	2024
Goalkeeping coach	Amandine Leynaud	2022

Notable players

Several French players have seen their individual performance recognized at international tournaments.

MVP

• Valérie Nicolas (goalkeeper), 2003 World Championship
• Estelle Nze Minko (left back), 2020 European Championship

All-Star Team

• Nodjialem Myaro (centre back), 1999 World Championship
• Stéphanie Cano (right wing), 2002 European Championship
• Valérie Nicolas (goalkeeper), 2003 World Championship, 2007 World Championship
• Isabelle Wendling (line player), 2003 World Championship
• Véronique Pecqueux-Rolland (centre back), 2004 Summer Olympics
• Mariama Signaté (left back), 2009 World Championship
• Allison Pineau (centre back), 2009 World Championship, 2011 World Championship, 2016 Summer Olympics
• Alexandra Lacrabère (right back), 2016 Summer Olympics
• Béatrice Edwige (defender), 2016 European Championship
• Grâce Zaadi (centre back), 2017 World Championship, 2020 Summer Olympics, 2021 World Championship
• Siraba Dembélé (left wing), 2017 World Championship
• Amandine Leynaud (goalkeeper), 2018 European Championship
• Laura Flippes (right wing), 2020 Summer Olympics
• Pauletta Foppa (line player), 2020 Summer Olympics, 2021 World Championship, 2022 European Championship, 2024 European Championship (best defender)
• Coralie Lassource (left wing), 2021 World Championship
• Cléopatre Darleux (goalkeeper), 2022 European Championship
• Laura Glauser (goalkeeper), 2023 World Championship, 2024 Summer Olympics
• Chloé Valentini (left wing), 2023 World Championship
• Estelle Nze Minko (left back), 2023 World Championship, 2024 Summer Olympics
• Alicia Toublanc (right wing), 2024 Summer Olympics

Individual all-time records

  Still active players are highlighted

Most matches played Total number of matches played in official competitions only. # Player Matches Goals Period 1 Isabelle Wendling 338 543 1993–2008 2 Siraba Dembélé 291 848 2006–2021 3 Véronique Pecqueux-Rolland 289 898 1993–2008 4 Allison Pineau 273 696 2007–2021 5 Camille Ayglon 270 550 2007–2021 6 Alexandra Lacrabère 256 833 2006–2021 7 Amandine Leynaud 254 3 2005–2021 8 Raphaëlle Tervel 249 372 1998–2012 9 Valérie Nicolas 245 0 1995–2008 10 Stéphanie Cano 231 462 1993–2008 Last updated: 28 November 2024

Most goals scored Total number of goals scored in official matches only. # Player Goals Matches Average 1 Véronique Pecqueux-Rolland 898 289 3.10 2 Siraba Dembélé 848 291 2.91 3 Alexandra Lacrabère 833 256 3.25 4 Leila Lejeune 763 183 4.17 5 Allison Pineau 696 273 2.55 6 Paule Baudouin 605 197 3.07 7 Sophie Herbrecht 569 193 2.95 8 Camille Ayglon 550 270 2.04 9 Isabelle Wendling 543 338 1.60 10 Estelle Nze Minko 517 208 2.48 Last updated: 15 December 2024

Head coach history

Period	Coach
1991–1997	Carole Martin
1998–2013; 2016–2024	Olivier Krumbholz
2013–2016	Alain Portes
2024–present	Sébastien Gardillou