France and Germany have a long history of football, but it was the Germans who have always had the upper hand in recent years in the women’s match.
The highly anticipated quarter -final on Saturday Euro 2025 in Basel is the last chapter between two former enemies. France was without victory against their neighbors in their last five games in major competitions until February 2024, when The Blue won 2-1 in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League in Lyon. Beyond that, Germany was dominant. At the club level, their teams won nine from the first 14 trophies in the 2001 UEFA Women’s Champions League (with Turbine Potsdam, FFC Francfurt and VFL Wolfsburg among the winners); And the national team won six consecutive European championships from 1995 to 2013, as well as two World Cups in 2003 and 2007.
It was only in recent years, with the rise of Ol Lyonnes (which won eight of the 12 UWCL tournaments from 2010 to 2022), France has managed to fill the gap in the country. But they have never won anything internationally – not even close and most often, Germany spoils the French party. In the last 11 games dating from 2005, Germany has won seven, France two and two games. There is a French expression for this: bane. Basically, Germany is the French Bogey team.
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In general, most of their meetings were presented before these last stages of the tournaments. The competitive file of France allowed them to exceed the quarter -finals in each competition for which they qualified since 1997, with the exception of the 2011 World Cup.
But even when they did, to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2022, they met Germany again. France drew 1-1 with 15 minutes before Alexandra Popp had their bubble with its second in the match to send The Blue Unhappy welcome again.
So what is different in 2025?
On the one hand, France is somewhat a virgin canvas. With a new head coach (Laurent Bonadei) who has only been in charge for a few months, the team has been a work in progress. They went from veterans – notably Captain Wendie Renard and the top scorer of all time Eugénie Le Sommer – and the team now depends on players who simply strike their peak, such as Sandy Baltimore (25), Marie -Antoinette Katoto (26), Delphine Cascarino (28) and Grace Geyoro (28).
The team won the three games in the group phase – with a good performance in the first match against England, and a Salvo in the second half against the Netherlands – so they are well placed to pass their rivals since confidence is raised in the camp. Germany does not look great so far, especially in their heavy defeat against Sweden, and are in a way in transition after so many years of success.
Germany could still have a psychological advantage because they are more used to winning big games, especially against France, but Bonadei does a lot of mental work with its players, and that seems to work.
“I don’t think it’s true,” said new captain Griedge Mbock Bathy this week. “We don’t fear them, and we will play our game. It was great for us to beat them during this February match [the Nations League win]; We have no inferiority complex. We have ambitions, we know where we want to go and how to get there. “”
Players are mainly relaxing in their downtime by playing card games: mainly major uno games with great passion. Older players play Belote (a French card game) and the Darts advice is also very popular, Mbock showing his skills. She even beat her coach!
But Bonadei does not care. Germany is also a special game for him. Although he wants to get a visit to another semi -final in euros – the two teams also meet in the semi -finals of the League of Nations on two legs in October, to have the chance to play in Sweden or Spain – so it’s a perfect chance to test their level.
“This is a first set before our double head of the League of Nations,” he said. “We are going to approach this game with the confidence we have and entertain our supporters. France against Germany brings me back to adolescent memories, not very good as in 1982 [when the France men’s team lost in the World Cup semifinal against West Germany on penalties, having led 3-1 before conceding two late goals]. If a certain feeling of revenge can stimulate us, it is not too bad. “”
The two sets of players know each other so well; Most of them have played together in international football for young people or at the club level. There are certainly no secrets between the two teams; They know each other so well and exactly how the other will play. But, for the first time in a long time, the momentum is with France.
If The Blue Can finally beat their curse in the quarter-final and seal progress towards a semi-final against Spain or Switzerland, it would be special. Doing it against Germany would be even more so.
