France’s World Cup-bound women return to the pitch in Laval on Friday, but the international window will begin without the scale usually expected of a major fixture. Latvia, ranked 104th by FIFA, are the visitors as Laurent Bonadei’s side seek a useful outing before domestic football resumes.
Vice-captain Sakina Karchaoui acknowledged on Tuesday that the match does not carry the appeal of a leading European contest. France have already qualified for the 2027 World Cup, yet their options for a higher-profile opponent were sharply limited by the qualifying calendar.
Few available opponents
Only Denmark, Spain and Germany, besides France, have already secured their places at the 2027 finals. The remaining European nations are still involved in qualifying, while four teams have already been eliminated.
Latvia were selected from that group of eliminated sides, ahead of Montenegro, 86th in the FIFA rankings, Malta, 92nd, and Luxembourg, 113th.
Bonadei also faced practical restrictions over where France could play. Australia coach Joe Montemurro proposed a friendly, but the arrangement would have required France to travel to Germany when this gathering had been planned around a home match.
Brazil discussions did not lead to a tour
There were also conversations with Brazil over a possible two-match trip to South America. Brazil had hoped to host France, following the Seleção’s 3-2 defeat in Grenoble on 27 June 2025.
The proposal did not materialise, with financial considerations among the reasons. France’s men were able to undertake an expensive United States tour before the 2026 World Cup, but no comparable trip has been scheduled for the women this time.
Playing only Latvia also keeps the workload lighter ahead of the domestic season’s next major meeting, when Paris Saint-Germain face OL Lyonnes on 17 October.
The quieter window will not last. France are set for a far more demanding next camp, with three matches on the programme.
