France produced an incredible eighthfinal victory over formidable China at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship in Thailand, securing a historic spot in the quarterfinal stage.
France has made history at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship in Thailand, securing an incredible eighthfinal victory over formidable China. This win marks the first time France will compete in the quarterfinal stage of the competition since 1952. The European team, ranked 14th globally, triumphed over their fifth-ranked Asian rivals, who are multiple World Championship medalists, in a thrilling four-set match. France is now set to face the winner of the Brazil versus Dominican Republic match in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Spearheaded by their inspirational captain, Helena Cazaute, a determined French squad delivered a shocking 3-1 (25-20, 27-25, 22-25, 25-20) upset against China. This monumental win not only knocked the powerful Chinese team out of contention but also propelled France into the quarterfinals, a feat achieved only once before in 1952 during the inaugural tournament where they finished seventh among eight participating teams.
France demonstrated superior attacking prowess, recording 63 successful spikes compared to China’s 56. Captain Cazaute was exceptional, leading all scorers with 22 points, including two aces and a block. Opposite Iman Ndiaye contributed significantly with 20 points, while outside hitter Amelie Rotar achieved a 52% attack success rate and two blocks, tallying 18 points. The decisive moment in the fourth set came from a double block by substitute Lucille Gicquel and middle blocker Amandha Sylves, igniting celebrations for the French team.
“I have no words!” exclaimed Cazaute in her post-match interview. “We knew we could play at a high level. We showed against Brazil that we were able to compete against really good teams. And today was our day! We truly believe in our team, in what we can achieve. Today, we proved we could beat major teams. I’m incredibly happy, because last year at the Olympics, we lost very badly 3-0, and today we beat them 3-1. I am just proud of my team. It was a victory from the heart. We fought hard to get here. Our team works tirelessly, and today it paid off. We love playing volleyball, we give our all, and we see that it’s working. We’ve already written history, but we’re still dreaming…”
For China, who previously earned silver in 2014 and bronze in 2018, this marks the second consecutive World Championship without a podium finish. Unlike 2022, when they reached the quarterfinals, this year they were eliminated in the eighthfinal round.
In their match against France, veteran middle blocker Wang Yuanyuan stood out with an impressive 87% attack success rate and two blocks, leading her team with 15 points. Young outside hitter Wu Mengjie added 13 points, while middle Gao Yi and outside Li Yingying also reached double digits with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
“We lost this game, and the World Championship is over for us, but we put in a collective effort,” commented opposite and captain Gong Xiangyu. “Our young team has a bright future. We will continue to work very hard in practice to deliver strong performances and secure a promising future.”
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick