Brazilian team beats France by 3 sets to 0 and remains unbeaten in the 2026 Nations League
The women’s national volleyball team maintained its impeccable campaign by defeating the French team in direct partials of 25 to 22, 25 to 19 and 25 to 15. The clash, held this Wednesday (17) in the city of Ankara, in Turkish territory, guaranteed the group’s fifth consecutive triumph under the guidance of coach Paulo Coco. This positive result not only consolidates the unbeaten record in the second stage of the tournament, but also adds crucial points to the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) world ranking, essential for the Olympic cycle.
The clash marked the South Americans’ first commitment in the European leg of the championship. Although the initial stage of the duel presented an even dispute, the green and yellow squad quickly adjusted the pace in the following stages. The technical imposition was evident through a solid defensive system at the net and aggressive serves, factors that broke the European reception and dictated the course of the confrontation from start to finish.
Overwhelming performance in the decisive part against the Europeans
The final stretch of the clash perfectly illustrated the tactical superiority of the national team. In the first rallies, the Brazilians opened up a significant advantage of five points to zero, stifling any attempt at an opposing reaction. The wall formed by Julia Kudiess, Tainara and Diana worked impeccably, while the powerful services performed by Julia Bergmann and Ana Cristina disrupted the French passing line. The elastic score of 25 to 15 was consolidated thanks to the intelligent use of the opponent’s mistakes and an extremely effective turnover of the ball.
Previously, during the second half of the match, Paulo Coco’s men had already demonstrated maturity to take control of the game after a truncated start. Forwards Ana Cristina and Julia Bergmann were responsible at the ends of the court, being fundamental for the offensive score. Even with the French showing slight pressure at certain moments, the consistency of the South American block prevented their rivals from maintaining a competitive pace until the end of the set.
Initial formation and the main parts of the tactical scheme
To start the confrontation, the technical committee chose to send a formation composed of setter Macris to the court, accompanied by Tainara, Diana, Julia Kudiess, Julia Bergmann, Ana Cristina and libero Marcelle. Internationally recognized for her ability at the net, Kudiess confirmed her excellent form by scoring crucial points that stopped the rival attack. At the same time, Tainara’s offensive strength and Ana Cristina’s aggressiveness at the back of the court were decisive for the success of the proposed scheme.
On the other side of the court, the French team, which has only one triumph in the current edition of the championship, tried to resist by betting on attacks from Ratahiry and Ndiaye. However, the effort of the European duo came up against the intense defense of the Brazilians, who transformed almost all transition opportunities into lethal counterattacks, highlighting the technical disparity between the squads.
Impact of the result on the tournament leaderboard
Boasting a perfect record of five positive results in five appearances, the national squad consolidates itself in the elite squad fighting for the top of the preliminary phase of the 2026 Nations League, seeking to secure one of the places for the knockout stage. The trajectory built in the opening week, based in Brasília, had already left an excellent impression with the fans, encompassing consistent triumphs over the Netherlands, Dominican Republic, Bulgaria and an electrifying clash decided in the tie-break against the strong Italy team.
Beating the French team serves to attest to the group’s upward performance curve, highlighting an increasingly greater rapport and the importance of having a qualified bench to rotate the squad. The next challenge in the Turkish capital will place the Brazilians face to face with the Belgian team, in a duel where the expectation is to maintain the standard of excellence and take another step towards early classification.
