Runners-up in the last two editions, France head to the 2025 European Mixed Team Championships as the team to watch.
While 19-time champions Denmark are once again favourites at the tournament that begins tomorrow, France will hope their momentum will help swing things their way as they arrive in Baku high from recent exploits.
With players like Alex Lanier, Christo Popov, Toma Junior Popov, Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue having found form in recent months, France will be confident of their ability to make history in Baku (Azerbaijan), which is hosting this event for the first time. If the team is able to produce another strong performance, it will build on the gains from Paris 2024, and set them up for upcoming major events, like the TotalEnergies BWF Sudirman Cup Finals 2025 and the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2025.
Gicquel and Delrue, who started the year strongly with a quarterfinal at the PETRONAS Malaysia Open followed by a runner-up finish at the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open, said the positive feeling from Paris 2024 was continuing to inspire them.
“I think that was one of the best memories of our badminton career, it’s a boost of energy that we want to feel again for big events ahead, so we can continue to feel this kind of emotion, this is what we’re looking for, and why we’re working so hard,” said Gicquel at the India Open.
Although they have a new coaching set-up post Paris 2024, Delrue said it hadn’t disrupted their momentum as the approach remained the same.
“The staff changed after the Olympics. We have three new coaches, a new physical coach, but I think we feel good with this and we’re training well and the relationship with them is nice, so we’re happy with the change.
“The vision is the same, the coach is Danish and we’ve had Danish coaches in the past, so it’s the same approach. The most important thing is to focus on our game and improve.”
Meanwhile, powerhouses Denmark can bank on experienced names like Anders Antonsen, Kim Astrup, Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Mia Blichfeldt as they take on Group 1 rivals Azerbaijan, England and Spain. Group 2 has Czechia, France, Germany and Netherlands; the top two teams from each group progress to the semifinals.