Vincent Le Gars and his staff summoned twenty-two players to prepare the French U16 women’s team at its first international fixture, the EHF European Open in Gothenburg at the end of the month. A first meeting in the form of a leap into the unknown for all participants.
“It’s a great personal recognition, and the start of a great adventure, whether for the staff or for the players.†Vincent Le Gars does not shy away from his pleasure at the time of bringing together, for the first time, the French U16 women’s team, of which he will be the coach for the year 2026. Eric Baradat, the head of the Women’s Federal Performance Pathway (PPF) at FFHandball, set up a few years ago a system allowing executives responsible for poles to discover the highest international level for a year. “What’s better than continuing to train at the highest possible level? I am convinced that I will come out of this experience with many lessons that I will be able to put into practice in my daily practice.”continues Le Gars, responsible for the Pôle Espoir de Luynes on a daily basis.
Assisted by Sandrine Boulesteix, Vincent Le Gars selected twenty-two players for the first gathering of the French team in mid-June. If the best players seen during the national training camp in March were called up, an unexpected factor entered the schedule: “We have put together a team made up only of players born in 2010, with one exception, because the 2011 generation is passing the patent at the time of the internship. We would probably have called three or four left-handed players to this gathering if the circumstances had been different.”he explains. The staff’s choice fell on two categories of players: the most prospective in the medium term but also those most capable of their know-how at the moment. “We sought to balance the positions, with four goalkeepers, nine base forward players and as many base back players. Our choice is supported by the fact that certain players had already been seen in RIG [Regroupement Inter-Générationnel]. »
The only real lack concerning the 2010 generation: the lack of right-backs and left-handers, a recurring problem in recent years for French youth women’s handball. “We only have two on the roster, so we’ll have to think about the option of playing a right-handed player.”warns the coach, who will only keep sixteen players before boarding the plane for Gothenburg, where the French team will compete in the EHF European Open at the end of the month. In the minds of the staff members, the thinking is already well advanced regarding the identity of the players who will be selected, even if a few surprises cannot be ruled out. “We had some positive signals from certain girls, whether during the RIG or the U16 national camp. 80% of the team we have selected seems very prospective to us, 20% is perhaps a little less so in the long term, which does not mean that we will not find them again during the rest of the course.”continues Vincent Le Gars.
In the meantime, the watchword for all concerned is quite simple: “Profiter un maximum de l’instant”. There will be many unknowns over the next two weeks, for everyone. The staff will discover how their group reacts in competition, but also an adversity never before observed, this European Open being the first international competition for this generation. Emotionally, too, the members of the France group will realize the weight of wearing the blue-white-red jersey at international level. “We realized the importance of this deadline when we announced to the girls of 2011 that they would not be able to be there because of the patent”underlines the selector. “We don’t know when we’ll experience moments like that again, so I really want to enjoy the moment, and that’s the message I’m also going to send to the players.â€
THE GROUP CONVENED
Guardians: Noémie BESSEAS (Saint-Sebastien Sud Loire HB); Lyra FARES (Epinal HB) ; Solène PINSKA (JDA Dijon) ; Lou POREE (AS Mantaise)
Left wingers: Lalie CARCAILLET (Entente Bro Leon); Chloé CESBRON (HB Bourg de Péage 26); Elise DURAND (Angers Lac de Maine); Noémie OSTER (E. Strasbourg Schiltighem Alsace HB)
Left backs: Paloma DEFAUX-AMURI FATOU (US Dreux Vernouillet HB); Hapsatou-Ana DEME (Sambres Avesnois HB, also right rear) ; Sasha ROCCO (Saint Loubes HB)
Center halves: Romane BERNIER (Chambéry La Motte Servolex Savoie HB, also left rear) ; Kleina OXANDABARATZ (Zibeiro Sports Tardets, also back) ; Emma SAMPER (ES Besançon HB)
Pivots : Layana COSSOU (Chambray Touraine HB) ; Tessa SOARES (Locmaria HB) ; Mamou WAGUE (SMV Vernon Saint-Marcel)
Right rears: Inaya DIOMANDE (USAM Nîmes Gard); Léonie ROGNON (Palente Besançon HB)
Right wingers: Méline BONHOMME COMETTI (Chevigny Saint Sauveur HB); Léna DUBUC (Entente Saone Mamirolle HB); Mélody WATTIEZ (Noisy le Grand)
THE STAFF
Coach U16 2026 : Vincent LEGARS / Manager général DTN et coach adjoint : Sandrine BOULESTEIX / Assistant coach and video analyst: Johann LANGLOYS / Médecin: Fabien FORTE / Kinésithérapeute : Charlotte TESTAERT / Head of delegation: Laeticia SWED
PROGRAM AND RESULTS
Stage National Excellence à la Maison du Handball : from April 20 to 24, 2026
Stage de préparation à l’European Open Championship à la MDHÂ: June 15 to 21, 2026
EHF European Open Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden : from June 28 to July 4, 2026
Group A: Hungary, Croatia, Czech Republic, Iceland, Lithuania
Group B: Spain, Netherlands, Serbia, Faroe Islands, Georgia
Group C: FranceSweden, Romania, Slovakia, Finland
Group D: Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Portugal, Türkiye
Preliminary round
Finland – FranceWednesday June 29 at 3:30 p.m.
France – SuèdeWednesday June 29 at 8:30 p.m.
Slovakia – FranceThursday June 30 at 10:30 a.m.
France – RomaniaThursday June 30 at 3:30 p.m.
Phase finale
The top two teams qualify for the quarter-finals
Wednesday July 1 at 1:15 p.m. or 3:45 p.m.
Thursday July 2 at 2:00 p.m. or 4:30 p.m.
Friday July 3 at 6:15 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.
