A clear round for the French Teams
Thanks to their performances in 2019 and 2020, three men’s, women’s, and the U23 French Teams, have qualified to participate in five major international competitions.
Blue, fashionable since autumn 2020, will continue to be fashionable at the next major international football events. In the span of a few days, France has witnessed the successive qualification of its three main French national teams.
►U21 for Euro and Olympic Games
On November 12 (5-0 win in Liechtenstein), Sylvain Ripoll's U-21 team validated their second consecutive participation in the UEFA European U-21 Championship. As a bonus, first place in their group ahead of Switzerland, ensured them a top seeded status in the draw for the finals. The year 2021 will be exciting for Les Bleuets with, not only the Euro, but a trip to Japan for the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games (which did not take place in 2020).
Dates to remember:
- Euro 2021 (Hungary and Slovenia): from March 24 to 31, 2021 (group phase) and from May 31 to June 6, 2021
- Olympic Tournament (Tokyo, Japan): from July 22 to August 7, 2021
►Les Bleus at the Euro and the League of Nations
On November 14 (1-0 victory in Portugal), Didier Deschamps' Les Bleus clinched their ticket to the four-way final of the second edition of the UEFA League of Nations by finishing first in a group that included Portugal (reigning European champions), Croatia (runners-up) and Sweden. Five wins and a draw in six matches between September and November.
Dates to remember:
- Euro 2021: from June 11 to July 11, 2021 (1st round, group F: France, Germany, Hungary, Portugal)
- League of Nations: October 6-7 and 10, 2021 (France-Belgium and Italy-Spain semi-finals)
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►Les Bleues at Euro 2022
On Friday November 27 (3-0 win, Austria), Corinne Diacre's Bleues opened the doors to the 2022 UEFA European Women's Championship, this will be their seventh participation in a row since 1997. They too finished at the top of their group, remaining unbeaten (seven wins, one draw) and without conceding one goal.
Dates to remember:
- Euro 2022 (England): from July 6 to 31, 2022
Three qualifications and five international finals on the horizon in 2021 and 2022, as Les Bleus, reigning world champions, will also take part in the Euro 2021 in June. An exceptional sporting record has been achieved despite experiencing exceptional conditions since March.
YOUTH TEAMS UNITED DESPITE EVERYTHING
National youth teams have been particularly affected by the health crisis related to the Covid-19 pandemic. All FIFA and UEFA international competitions scheduled for 2020 were cancelled, despite attempts to postpone them. This was a source of great frustration for the French teams, whose participation was well under way:
- U20 women: qualification for the 2020 World Cup (postponed in 2021 then cancelled)
- U19 women: qualification for the Euro 2020 Elite round (postponed then cancelled)
- U19 women: qualification for the Euro 2020 Elite round (cancelled)
- U17 women: qualification for the Euro 2020 Elite round (cancelled)
- U17 women: qualification for the Euro 2020 Elite round (postponed then cancelled)
The only consolation, but a major one, is that France was automatically qualified for the Men's U20 World Cup organised in Indonesia from May 20 to June 12, 2021.