French Women’s Handball Team Dominates Kosovo in Euro 2026 Qualifier Opener

The French women’s national handball team kicked off their Euro 2026 qualifying campaign with a resounding victory,trouncing Kosovo 43-12 on Wednesday in Nîmes. even with several key players sidelined due to maternity leave, including captain Estelle Nze Minko and stars Chloé Valentini and Laura Flippes, the French squad showed no signs of weakness against a clearly outmatched Kosovar side.

Kosovo,the reigning world champions,managed to keep pace for less than ten minutes before the French team found their rhythm. Once they did, it was like watching a well-oiled machine in practice, with coach Sébastien Gardillou’s squad executing their game plan flawlessly.

We had a clear game plan, and I felt the players executed it with respect, stated Gardillou.Kosovo is a team that understands handball, and we respected them throughout the match. They did cause us some issues early on.

By halftime, France had built a commanding 15-goal lead (20-5). They continued their dominance in the second half, launching a 10-0 run and keeping Kosovo scoreless for over 13 minutes.

In goal, with the usual starters Hatadou Sako and Laura Glauser absent, Brestois keepers Floriane André and Camille Sinceet delivered stellar performances. André made 11 saves in the first period, while Sinceet added 14 after the break, effectively shutting down the Kosovar offense.

These are always tricky matches, commented a visibly pleased Sinceet. Especially against opponents we don’t know well, as we’re accustomed to preparing meticulously for each specific opponent.it’s always a challenge to perform at your best in these situations.

Gardillou, who is also gearing up for the defense of the world title later this year, has used this autumn gathering as an prospect to expand his roster and integrate promising young talent.

Three new faces have joined the squad: Enola Borg from brest Bretagne Handball, Maureen Gayet from JDA Dijon, and Fatou Karamoko from Stella saint-Maur.

Despite the influx of new talent, the experienced players proved their worth. Alicia Toublanc led all scorers with eight goals, also reaching the important milestone of 200 career goals for the French national team.