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There was no match. Not really. On Sunday, August 9, at the Kista Convention Centre in Stockholm, the French U18 women's team received a beating in the EuroBasket final. Spain, the defending champion, crushed the Bleuettes 82 to 46. A 36-point gap. A demonstration that says everything about the current hierarchy of European women's basketball among the youth.
A final decided in ten minutes
The scenario hoped for by the French staff — an aggressive start, rhythm, shooting accuracy — never materialized.
The scenario hoped for by the French staff — an aggressive start, rhythm, shooting accuracy — never materialized. From the first quarter, La Roja imposed its tempo and physicality. Result: a 17-point lead after ten minutes of play. The French, overwhelmed in every department, never managed to build any momentum.
By halftime, the damage was already done. And the second half only confirmed the abysmal gap between the two teams. Spain dominated the boards, locked down the paint, and forced France into ineffective outside shooting. Every French possession felt like a battle. Every Spanish fast break, a stroll.
L'Équipe sums it up soberly: "With no answers against a dominant Spain team in every aspect of the game, the French team was heavily beaten."
Okafor as the boss, Courbot in the spotlight
The final crowned Somto Okafor, named MVP of the tournament. The Spanish post player averaged 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game in the competition, for a 16.3 efficiency rating. In the final, her presence in the paint was a wall the French never managed to get around.
On the French side, point guard Astrid Courbot saved the honor by being named to the tournament's All-Star Five. A well-deserved individual award for a player with strong leadership throughout the two weeks in Sweden. But the gap between this personal distinction and the collective shipwreck of the final sums up the duality of the French campaign: talent, promise, and a glass ceiling against the Spanish armada.
A generation to rebuild
French women's basketball has no reason to blush over a European silver medal. The Bleuettes dominated Finland in the semifinal and secured their ticket to the 2027 U19 World Cup, the campaign's top priority. But conceding 82 points in the final is also about facing reality: Spain has already taken a turn that France is only beginning to approach.
This seventh European title for La Roja — the second consecutive after 2025 — anchors a dynasty. France, for its part, must digest this slap without letting it linger too long. The talent pool exists. It just needs to be polished to withstand comparison with the Spanish steamroller. The work of federations, the development of young post players capable of competing physically, defensive intensity: all these projects are known to the French staffs. The difference between a silver medal and gold came down to those details that Spain has mastered for a decade. Turning individual potential into collective power, that is the roadmap for the Bleuettes heading into the U19 World Cup in a year.
French women's basketball knows its strengths and weaknesses. And on Sunday in Stockholm, the latter far outweighed the former.