It’s also back to school for the Blues. The French team returns to the field, a little over a month after its elimination in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Australia. The Tricolores face Portugal on Friday, September 22, at the Hainaut stadium in Valenciennes, for the first day of the Nations League.
A historic first. The Blues are playing their first Nations League match, a brand new competition in the women’s calendar. Like the one that exists for men, the League of Nations pits all European teams against each other in level leagues and groups, with a system of up and down. The key for the best selections is qualifying places for major international competitions.
The start of a season that leads to the Olympic Games. This is the first match of the 2023-2024 season for the France team, a major exercise since it will take the players to the Olympics, at home. Automatically qualified as the team of the host country, the Bleues want to prepare as best as possible for ten months to arrive in Paris in good shape in July 2024. Because the objective is already clear: win Olympic gold at home .
Returns from injury. The French coach Hervé Renard has not made any major changes to his list compared to the group that left for Australia. But he has recorded the returns of several players who have returned from injuries in recent weeks. This is the case of Amandine Henry and Oriane Jean-François, who had to withdraw during preparation. This is also the case for Griedge Mbock, who was seriously injured in the knee in September 2022.