The South American team secured their place in the Round of 16 after an intense five-set battle against France.
Captain Gabi led Brazil`s offense in their comeback win against France.
Brazil achieved a momentous victory at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship in Thailand, executing an incredible reverse sweep against France. This hard-fought win on Sunday in Chiang Mai was worth more than just two points, as it guaranteed the South Americans their passage to the tournament`s elimination rounds.
Despite losing the first two sets to their European opponents, the Brazilians displayed remarkable strength and determination, fighting back to triumph 3-2 (21-25, 20-25, 25-15, 25-17, 15-13). This dramatic turnaround confirmed their presence in the Round of 16 in Thailand.
A video highlight of the match between Brazil and France from the Women`s World Championships 2025 was previously available here.
In another Pool C match played in Chiang Mai on the same day, Greece secured their first World Championship victory in 23 years by defeating Puerto Rico 3-1 (25-19, 25-13, 23-25, 25-14). With these results, Brazil now sits at five points, securing their spot in the knockout stages. France, with four points, and Greece, with three, will face each other in a decisive duel on Tuesday to determine the other qualified team from the pool. Puerto Rico has been eliminated.
Brazilian star captain Gabriela ‘Gabi’ Guimarães led her team with an impressive 18 points, consisting of 13 kills and five blocks. Her fellow outside hitter Júlia Bergmann also made a significant contribution with 17 points (14 kills, two blocks, one ace), including the crucial game-winning point. Opposite Rosamaria Montibeller proved to be a powerful force off the bench, accumulating 14 points (11 kills, three blocks) entirely within the last three sets.
“France played a really impressive match today,” Gabi acknowledged. “They pushed us at the start with their serving and blocking, and were very smart in attack. When we started pushing with our serving and adjusted our blocking and defense, things got better for us. Matches in the World Championship are like this, and we need to be ready. We never gave up and the players who came off the bench helped a lot. I hope that this continues to make a difference for us.”
A social media post regarding the match was previously available here.
For France, captain Héléna Cazaute was the overall top scorer, registering 20 points (19 kills, one block). Opposite Iman Ndiaye also had a productive performance, delivering 18 points, with 14 kills, three aces, and one block.
“I’m very proud of the team, we fought a lot today,” Cazaute commented. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get the win. I think that to do it, we need to grow and be more consistent. Today, we showed we can create problems for a really good team. We need to believe in ourselves and keep pushing.”
Brazil’s strong play at the net was a key factor in their victory, as they outplayed the Europeans in both kills (64 to 56) and blocks (19 to 12). France, however, had a slight advantage in aces (three to two) and maintained a lower error count (21 to 24).
The remaining matches in Pool C are scheduled for Tuesday: France will play Greece at 16:00 local time (9:00 GMT), and Brazil will face Puerto Rico at 19:30 local time (12:30 GMT).
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick