In a little over a month, the qualifying tournament for the 2026 World Cup will be held near Villeurbanne (March 11 to 17). As this deadline approaches, the French Basketball Federation unveiled this Friday an expanded list of 24 players to prepare for this important meeting. The Bleues coach, Jean-Aimé Toupane, who will have to unveil his list of 12 players selected, can count on the return of several executives.
The qualifying tournament for the 2026 World Cup is fast approaching for the players of the French women’s basketball team. A tournament which will be held from March 11 to 17 near Villeurbanne, at home, with the aim of validating a ticket for Berlin (from September 4 to 13). In order to prepare for an important deadline for a French team beaten in the quarter-finals of the previous edition by China, the coach of the Bleues, Jean-Aimé Toupane has decided to call on a larger group. Thus, the Federation revealed this Friday the list of 24 players selected to prepare for this tournament.
Returns of Williams, Johannès and Malonga
A large group which will allow the coach to have the possibility of making choices with a final list of 12 players which will be made on February 26. In the meantime, Jean-Aimé Toupane will be able to count on several strong returns within the French Team group. Absent during the last Eurobasket in June 2025, Marine Johannès, Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga are back with the Blues, just like Alexia Chery, who had put her career on pause while waiting for a happy event.
Among the nice surprises on this expanded list, Nell Angloma and Sarah Cissé will have a card to play in convincing Jean-Aimé Toupane. The two 19-year-old players took part in the autumn gathering, during the friendly matches against Italy and Spain, and showed some great things. Enough for the Blue coach to trust them again.
A qualifying tournament which will be tough and dangerous for the players of the French team who will begin with a match against the Philippines on March 11. They will then face Colombia (March 12), Germany (March 14), Nigeria (March 15) and South Korea (March 17). The two highest-ranked nations in this tournament – excluding Germany (World Cup host) and Nigeria (African champion) – will qualify for the World Cup.
The list of 24 Blues:
Leaders-backs:
– Nell Angloma (Lattes-Montpellier)
– Pauline Astier (Prague, Czech Republic)
– Romane Bernies (Lattes-Montpellier)
– Coline Franchelin (Charleville)
– Marine Johannès (Galatasaray, Turquie)
– Leïla Lacan (Basket Landes)
– Carla Leite (Zaragoza, Spain)
– Tima Pouye (Bourges)
– Migna Touré (Besiktas, Türkiye)
– Gabby Williams (Fenerbahçe, Turquie).
Wingers:
– Valériane Ayayi (Prague, Czech Republic)
– Noémie Brochant (Charleville)
– Marie-Paule Dally (Bourges)
– Camille Droguet (Basket Landes)
– Garance Rabot (Lattes-Montpellier)
– Janelle Salaün (Prague, Czech Republic).
Interior :
– Marième Badiane (Schio, Italy)
– Alexia Chéry (Villeneuve-d’Ascq)
– Sarah Cissé (Lattes-Montpellier)
– Maëva Djaldi-Tabdi (Bourges)
– Aminata Gueye (Zaragoza, Spain)
– Dominique Malonga (Breeze, USA)
– Iliana Rupert (Fenerbahçe, Turquie)
– Jess-Mine Zodia (Asvel).
