France men's national handball team

Last updated

France
France national handball team logo.png
Information
Nickname1992: les Bronzés
1993–1996: les Barjots
2001–2008: les Costauds
2008–2017: les Experts
Association French Handball Federation
Coach Guillaume Gille
Assistant coachÉrick Mathé
Olivier Maurelli
Captain Luka Karabatic
Most caps Jackson Richardson (417)
Most goals Jérôme Fernandez (1,463)
Colours
Kit left arm France21h.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body France21h.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm France21h.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts France21h.png
Kit shorts.svg
1st
Kit left arm France21a.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body France21a.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm France21a.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts France21a.png
Kit shorts.svg
2nd
Results
Summer Olympics
Appearances7 (First in 1992 )
Best resultGold medal.svg 1st (2008, 2012, 2020)
World Championship
Appearances24 (First in 1954 )
Best resultGold medal world centered-2.svg 1st (1995, 2001, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2017)
European Championship
Appearances16 (First in 1994 )
Best resultGold medal europe.svg 1st (2006, 2010, 2014, 2024)
Last updated on Unknown.
France men's national handball team
Medal record
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2008 Beijing Team
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2012 London Team
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2020 Tokyo Team
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1992 Barcelona Team
World Championship
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1995 Iceland
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2001 France
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2009 Croatia
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2011 Sweden
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2015 Qatar
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2017 France
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1993 Sweden
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2023 Poland/Sweden
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1997 Japan
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2003 Portugal
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2005 Tunisia
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2019 Germany/Denmark
European Championship
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2006 Switzerland
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2010 Austria
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2014 Denmark
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2024 Germany
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2008 Norway
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2018 Croatia
Mediterranean Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1987 Latakia
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1993 Languedoc-Roussillon
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2001 Tunis
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2009 Pescara

The France national handball team is supervised by the French Handball Federation, and represents France in international matches. It is the first handball team to have held all three titles twice (the Danish women's team also held all three in 1997), and the only national team in its sport to hold six world titles and a total of eleven medals at the World Men's Handball Championship. With a total of five medals, including three gold in 2008, 2012 and 2021, France is also the most successful Handball team at the Summer Olympics. As of January 2024, they are the defending Olympic and European Champions.

Contents

France's men handball team is widely regarded[ by whom? ] as one of the finest national teams in the history of the sport.

Results at international tournaments

Since the 1990s, France has emerged as a major handball team. France won the bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics, giving birth to their first nickname: les Bronzés (meaning tanned in French, a reference both to bronze and to cult French film Les Bronzés). This led to an increased popularity of the sport in France, which was already one of the most popular in primary and secondary schools.

One year after their Olympic medal, les Bronzés reached the final of the 1993 World Championship, which they lost against Russia.

In 1995, France won the World Championship in Iceland, defeating Croatia in the final. The team became known as les Barjots because the players played the final with an extravagant haircut (barjot is a slang word for crazy in French).

The team finished 4th in the 1996 Summer Olympics (France lost the bronze medal game to Spain, whom they had beaten in the first round). France finished third a year later in the 1997 World Championship. The team finished 6th in the 1999 World Championship and in the 2000 Summer Olympics.

France won the world title again in the 2001 World Championship organised in France. During both their quarterfinal and final, against Germany and Sweden respectively, they were one goal behind until a few seconds before the end of the game, but scored a late goal and finally win in overtime with a three-goal margin. This great strength of character was cause for their new nickname: les Costauds (the strong, or the tough). Five members of les Costauds had already been world champions in 1995 with les Barjots: Jackson Richardson, Grégory Anquetil, Patrick Cazal, and the goalkeepers Bruno Martini and Christian Gaudin.

The team finished third in the 2003 World Championship. In the 2004 Olympics, the teamed finished 5th. Although they won their five games of the preliminary round, the team lost to an ageing Russian team led by 42-year-old goalkeeper Andrey Lavrov in the quarterfinals (24–26).

In the 2005 World Championship, France finished third again. This was the last international competition played by Jackson Richardson, a veteran from the first team les Bronzés. The retirement of their star meant for the French team the final transition between the early successes and the new generation of players.

In 2006 France won for the first time the European Championship, a competition in which they had never won a medal until then. In the final, they overwhelmed Spain, the reigning world champions (31–23), against whom they had lost the opening match in the preliminary round.

In 2008, France finished third in the European Championship. They were undefeated until the semi-final, which they lost to Croatia.

France won the gold medal in the Beijing Olympics. The French players elected to call themselves Les Experts, which is the French title for the TV show CSI in France. The team won the gold medal in the 2008 handball tournament in Beijing, defeating underdogs Iceland in the final (28–23). Thierry Omeyer, Daniel Narcisse and Bertrand Gille were voted into the tournament's All Star team.

France won the world title again in 2009 at the 2009 World Championship, hosted by Croatia, against the organizing country, and the European title in 2010 in Austria, once more against Croatia. As a result, they became the first men's team to hold the three major titles in the sport (olympic title, world title and European title) simultaneously (Denmark women's national handball team held all three titles in 1997). It also became the third team to have won all three titles ever, the other two being Germany and Russia.

In the 2011 World Championship, France held its title, winning against Denmark (37–35 after extra time). This victory, in addition to granting an automatic participation to the 2012 Olympics, marked several achievements:

The 2012 and 2013 years were a mixed bag for the team; after an unexpected setback at the 2012 European championship where the team ended up in 11th place, it went on to be the first national handball team to retain the Olympic title at the London Olympic games. In 2013, they ended up being defeated by Croatia in this year's world championship.

2014 saw France regain its European title after losing it in 2012. Of note is that just like in 2009, the team ended up winning the final against the host country.

In 2015, they won their 5th World Champion title against host country Qatar. Thierry Omeyer was elected Most Valuable Player of the tournament; this was the first time in the IHF history that a goalkeeper was elected as an MVP. By doing so, they became the first team in the history of the sport to hold the three major titles for the second time.

In 2016, Les Experts lost their Olympic title in Rio, finishing second after a defeat in final against Denmark.

In 2017, they won their 6th World Champion title at home against Norway (33–26). Nikola Karabatic was elected Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Thierry Omeyer and Daniel Narcisse retired after the tournament, with two Olympic gold medals, three European titles, and respectively five and four world championship titles.

Honours

Olympic Games
World Championship
European Championship


CompetitionGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgTotal
Olympic Games 3115
World Championship 62412
European Championship 4026
Total133723

Competitive record

 Champions   Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

Olympic Games

GamesRoundPositionPldWDLGFGAGD
Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg 1936 Berlin did not participate
Flag of Germany.svg 1972 Munich did not qualify
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg 1976 Montreal
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg 1980 Moscow
Flag of the United States.svg 1984 Los Angeles
Flag of South Korea.svg 1988 Seoul
Flag of Spain.svg 1992 Barcelona Third place3rd of 127502157143+14
Flag of the United States.svg 1996 Atlanta Fourth place4th of 127403190165+25
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2000 Sydney Match for 5th place6th of 128413192182+10
Flag of Greece.svg 2004 Athens Match for 5th place5th of 128701221176+45
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2008 Beijing Champions1st of 128710228185+43
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 2012 London Champions1st of 128701229175+54
Flag of Brazil.svg 2016 Rio de Janeiro Runners-up2nd of 128602241201+40
Flag of Japan.svg 2020 Tokyo Champions1st of 128701256222+34
Flag of France.svg 2024 Paris Qualified (host country)
Flag of the United States.svg 2028 Los Angeles TBD
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2032 Brisbane
Total9/153 Titles62472131,6141,449+265

World Championship

YearRoundPositionGPWDLGSGA
Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg 1938 did not qualify
Flag of Sweden.svg 1954 Preliminary Round630122661
Flag of East Germany.svg 1958 Preliminary Round931026657
Flag of Germany.svg 1961 Main Round861054273
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg 1964 Preliminary Round1430034164
Flag of Sweden.svg 1967 Preliminary Round1031023441
Flag of France.svg 1970 Preliminary Round11610580105
Flag of East Germany.svg 1974 did not qualify
Flag of Denmark.svg 1978 Preliminary Round1630035497
Flag of Germany.svg 1982 did not qualify
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg 1986 did not qualify
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg 1990 Second round96213138138
Flag of Sweden.svg 1993 Runners-up Silver medal icon.svg 7502134131
Flag of Iceland.svg 1995 Champions Gold medal icon.svg 9702218185
Flag of Japan.svg 1997 Third place Bronze medal icon.svg 9702223206
Flag of Egypt.svg 1999 Quarter-finals69603242211
Flag of France.svg 2001 Champions Gold medal icon.svg 9900233172
Flag of Portugal.svg 2003 Third place Bronze medal icon.svg 10802286218
Flag of Tunisia.svg 2005 Third place Bronze medal icon.svg 10622301240
Flag of Germany.svg 2007 Fourth place410604300243
Flag of Croatia.svg 2009 Champions Gold medal icon.svg 10901296211
Flag of Sweden.svg 2011 Champions Gold medal icon.svg 10910327245
Flag of Spain.svg 2013 Quarter-finals67502207182
Flag of Qatar.svg 2015 Champions Gold medal icon.svg 9810259215
Flag of France.svg 2017 Champions Gold medal icon.svg 9900282218
Flag of Denmark.svg / Flag of Germany.svg 2019 Third place Bronze medal icon.svg 10712278251
Flag of Egypt.svg 2021 Fourth place49702267250
Flag of Poland.svg / Flag of Sweden.svg 2023 Runners-up Silver medal icon.svg 9801301245
Flag of Croatia.svg / Flag of Denmark.svg / Flag of Norway.svg 2025 qualified
Flag of Germany.svg 2027 TBD
Total25/286 titles1781216*5146354059

European Championship

YearRoundPositionGPWDLGSGA
Flag of Portugal.svg 1994 5th/6th place66213148148
Flag of Spain.svg 1996 7th/8th place76402154141
Flag of Italy.svg 1998 7th/8th place76213140153
Flag of Croatia.svg 2000 Fourth place47412173164
Flag of Sweden.svg 2002 5th/6th place67322180167
Flag of Slovenia.svg 2004 5th/6th place67313189182
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg 2006 Champions1 Gold medal europe.svg 8701243192
Flag of Norway.svg 2008 Third place3 Bronze medal europe.svg 8602231207
Flag of Austria.svg 2010 Champions1 Gold medal europe.svg 8620225196
Flag of Serbia.svg 2012 Main round116213156163
Flag of Denmark.svg 2014 Champions1 Gold medal europe.svg 8701259227
Flag of Poland.svg 2016 5th/6th place57502210182
Flag of Croatia.svg 2018 Third place3 Bronze medal europe.svg 8701244212
Flag of Austria.svg Flag of Norway.svg Flag of Sweden.svg 2020 Preliminary round1431028279
Flag of Hungary.svg Flag of Slovakia.svg 2022 Fourth place49603278248
Flag of Germany.svg 2024 Champions1 Gold medal europe.svg 9810306270
Flag of Denmark.svg Flag of Norway.svg Flag of Sweden.svg 2026 qualified
Flag of Portugal.svg Flag of Spain.svg Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg 2028 TBD
Total16/184 titles1137310*3032182931
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided in a penalty shootout.

Current squad

Squad for the 2024 European Men's Handball Championship. [1] [2]

Head coach: Guillaume Gille

No.Pos.NameDate of birth (age)HeightApp.GoalsClub
1GK Samir Bellahcene (1995-02-20) 20 February 1995 (age 29)1.91 m41 Flag of Germany.svg THW Kiel
2RW Yanis Lenne (1996-06-29) 29 June 1996 (age 27)1.87 m4791 Flag of France.svg Montpellier Handball
5CB Nedim Remili (1995-07-18) 18 July 1995 (age 28)1.95 m115352 Flag of Hungary.svg Telekom Veszprém
8LB Elohim Prandi (1998-08-24) 24 August 1998 (age 25)1.93 m2863 Flag of France.svg Paris Saint-Germain
9RB Melvyn Richardson (1997-01-31) 31 January 1997 (age 27)1.90 m76183 Flag of Spain.svg Barça
10RB Dika Mem (1997-08-31) 31 August 1997 (age 26)1.94 m106340 Flag of Spain.svg Barça
11P Nicolas Tournat (1994-04-05) 5 April 1994 (age 29)2.00 m86190 Flag of Poland.svg Industria Kielce
13LB Nikola Karabatić (1984-04-11) 11 April 1984 (age 39)1.96 m3481277 Flag of France.svg Paris Saint-Germain
14CB Kentin Mahé (1991-05-22) 22 May 1991 (age 32)1.86 m162530 Flag of Hungary.svg Telekom Veszprém
16GK Charles Bolzinger (2000-12-14) 14 December 2000 (age 23)1.98 m91 Flag of France.svg Montpellier Handball
17LB Timothey N'Guessan (1992-09-18) 18 September 1992 (age 31)1.95 m108216 Flag of Spain.svg Barça
22P Luka Karabatic (1988-04-19) 19 April 1988 (age 35)2.02 m144168 Flag of France.svg Paris Saint-Germain
23P Ludovic Fabregas (1996-07-01) 1 July 1996 (age 27)1.98 m129296 Flag of Hungary.svg Telekom Veszprém
25LW Hugo Descat (1992-08-16) 16 August 1992 (age 31)1.83 m46200 Flag of Hungary.svg Telekom Veszprém
28RW Valentin Porte (1990-09-07) 7 September 1990 (age 33)1.90 m182415 Flag of France.svg Montpellier Handball
29RW Benoît Kounkoud (1997-02-19) 19 February 1997 (age 27)1.90 m3958 Flag of Poland.svg Industria Kielce
31LW Dylan Nahi (1999-11-30) 30 November 1999 (age 24)1.92 m45118 Flag of Poland.svg Industria Kielce
34P Karl Konan (1995-06-03) 3 June 1995 (age 28)1.96 m235 Flag of France.svg Montpellier Handball
92GK Rémi Desbonnet (1992-02-28) 28 February 1992 (age 32)1.82 m292 Flag of France.svg Montpellier Handball

Records

Kit suppliers

Since 2002, France's kit is supplied by Adidas.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croatia men's national handball team</span> Olympic handball team

The Croatia national handball team represents Croatia in international men's team handball competitions and friendly matches. The handball team is controlled by the Croatian Handball Federation (HRS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson Richardson</span> French handball player

Jackson Richardson is a retired French handball player. Regarded as one of the best and most influential handball players of his era, Richardson won fourteen titles at club level and the World Championship in 1995 and 2001 with the French national team. He was awarded IHF World Player of the Year in 1995, and voted the most valuable player at the World Championships in 1990 and 1995, and the 2000 European Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivano Balić</span> Croatian handball player

Ivano Balić is a Croatian former professional handballer who is currently part of the coaching staff at RK Split. Renowned for his speed, creativity, movement and charisma as a player, Balić won the 2003 World Championship and the Olympic gold medal in 2004 with the Croatian national team, and thirteen titles playing for clubs in Croatia, Spain and Germany. He also received two World Championship silver medals, two silver and one bronze European Championship medal, and one Olympic bronze medal (2012) with the national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denmark men's national handball team</span> Mens national handball team representing Denmark

The Denmark men's national handball team is controlled by the Danish Handball Association and represents Denmark in international matches. They are the team with the fourth most medals won in European Championship history on the men's side behind Sweden, France and Spain, with a total of seven medals. Two of these are gold medals, one silver (2014) and four bronze medals.

Sport in France plays an important role in French society, which is reflected in its popularity among the French people and the nation's strong sporting history. Various types of sports are played and followed in France, notably cycling, football, and handball, which has earned France eight victories in world championships and five Olympic medals. France is also the four-time European champion of handball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montenegro women's national handball team</span>

The Montenegro women's national handball team is the national team of Montenegro. It is governed by the Handball Federation of Montenegro and takes part in international handball competitions.

Mirko Bašić is a former Croatian handball player who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics and in the 1988 Summer Olympics. He has also played six EHF Champions League finals winning two in 1984–85 and 1985–86 as part of the famous RK Metaloplastika which dominated European handball in the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zlatko Saračević</span> Croatian handball player (1961–2021)

Zlatan "Zlatko" Saračević was a Croatian professional handball player and coach who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics for Yugoslavia and in the 1996 Summer Olympics for Croatia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikola Karabatić</span> French handball player

Nikola Karabatić is a French Serbo-Croatian born professional handball player for Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claude Onesta</span> French handball player

Claude Onesta,, is a French handball coach, responsible of France's Men's handball team from 2001 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Igor Vori</span> Croatian handball player

Igor Vori is a Croatian handball coach and former player who is currently the coach of Croatian club MRK Sesvete. Regarded as one of the best line players in handball history and renowned for his defensive and attacking abilities, Vori won the 2003 World Championship and the Olympic gold medal in 2004 with the Croatian national team, and over thirty club titles playing for RK Zagreb, FC Barcelona, HSV Hamburg and Paris Saint-Germain. He holds the record for most appearances for the Croatian national team with 246 caps.

Greece has risen to prominence in a number of sporting areas in recent decades. Football in particular has seen a rapid transformation, with the Greece national football team winning the UEFA Euro 2004. Many Greek athletes have also achieved significant success and have won world and olympic titles in numerous sports during the years, such as basketball, wrestling, water polo, athletics, weightlifting, with many of them becoming international stars inside their sports. The successful organisation of the Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games led also to the further development of many sports and has led to the creation of many world class sport venues all over Greece and especially in Athens. Greek athletes have won a total 161 medals for Greece in 17 different Olympic sports at the Summer Olympic Games, including the Intercalated Games, an achievement which makes Greece one of the top nations globally, in the world's rankings of medals per capital

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thierry Omeyer</span> French handball player

Thierry Omeyer is a retired French handball goalkeeper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bertrand Gille (handballer)</span> French handball player

Bertrand Fabien Gille is a handball player from France. Very strong physically, and was honored with the title of World Player of the Year in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alain Portes</span> French handball coach

Alain Portes is a French handball player and coach, who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics. He have formerly coached the Tunisian national team, France women's national team and Algerian national team.

Patrik Ćavar is a retired Croatian handball player. The legendary left wing played in Croatia for Mehanika Metković, Badel 1862 Zagreb and Agram Medveščak, in Bosnia and Herzegovina for Borac Banja Luka, in Spain for FC Barcelona, BM Granollers, and in France for Saint-Marcel Vernon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 World Men's Handball Championship</span>

The 2011 World Men's Handball Championship, the 22nd event hosted by the International Handball Federation, was held in Sweden from 13 to 30 January 2011. All matches were played in Malmö, Lund, Kristianstad, Gothenburg, Skövde, Jönköping, Linköping and Norrköping.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handball at the 2016 Summer Olympics</span> Handball played during the 2016 Olympic Summer Games

The handball tournaments at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was held from 6 to 21 August at the Future Arena in the Barra Olympic Park. The tournaments were won by Denmark in the men's competition and Russia for the women's tournament. The French teams for both competitions finished with the silver medal, and the bronze went to Germany and Norway, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sander Sagosen</span> Norwegian handball player (born 1995)

Sander Sagosen is a Norwegian professional handball player for Kolstad Håndball and the Norwegian national team. At club level, he has won major titles in four countries, including league championships in Norway, Denmark, France and Germany. With the national team, Sagosen placed second at the World Championship in 2017 and 2019, and finished third at the 2020 European Championship. Sagosen was included on the All-Star team for five consecutive major international competitions as either best centre back or left back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sead Hasanefendić</span> Croatian handball coach

Sead Hasanefendić is a Croatian handball coach who is the head coach of ThSV Eisenach. He is of Bosnian descent.

References

  1. "EdFM – 19 joueurs pour l'Allemagne" (in French). ffhandball.fr. 6 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  2. "Team roster: France". res.ehf.eu. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.