France Women's National Football Team
The French women's national football team represents France in international women's football. The team is directed by the French Football Federation (FFF) and competes as a member of UEFA in various international football tournaments such as the FIFA Women's World Cup, UEFA Women's Euro, the Summer Olympics, and the Algarve Cup.
The France women's national team initially struggled on the international stage failing to qualify for three of the first FIFA Women's World Cups and the six straight UEFA European Championships before reaching the quarter-finals in the 1997 edition of the competition. However, since the beginning of the new millennium, France have become a mid-tier national team and one of the most consistent in Europe having qualified for their first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup in 2003 and reaching the quarter-finals in two of the three European Championships held since 2000. In 2011, France recorded a fourth-place finish at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup; its best finish overall at the competition. In the following year, the club captured the 2012 Cyprus Cup.
The current manager of the national team is Bruno Bini. Bini is a former player and has managed all levels of French international women's football beginning with the under-16 team in 1993. He has been in charge of the team since February 2007 when he replaced Elisabeth Loisel following her failure to qualify for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. The current captain of the national team is 38-year old midfielder Sandrine Soubeyrand. On 29 October 2009, Soubeyrand earned her record 143rd career international cap in a match against Estonia. The achievement surpassed French men's international defender Lilian Thuram as the nation's most capped football player. As of December 2011, France is ranked No. 6 in the FIFA Women's World Rankings.
Read more about France Women's National Football Team: Results, Competitive Record, Coaching Staff
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