Tomorrow the French national team confronts the United States in Le Havre in what could turn into a more interesting-than-usual friendly match.
The game will mark the 27th time that the two teams will play each other; the only other team that Les Bleues have played against more often is their northern neighbor, Belgium (29).[1] I’m thus always fascinated by the frequency, interconnections, and sports diplomacy that occurs between France and the United States within the realm of women’s football.
These two teams, currently Number 1 (USA) and Number 3 (France) in FIFA’s World Rankings, last faced off at the Parc de Princes in Paris for the FIFA 2019 World Cup semifinal. It was a fateful day. The Americans quashed French dreams to win the tournament on home soil one year after the men’s side took home the title, but advanced their push for equal pay by demonstrating their ability to deliver on the field. Tensions between Les Bleues and their coach Corinne Diacre since played out in the media and, while attempts were made to repair relations, questions remain about team chemistry and confidence ahead of the Tokyo Olympic tournament and Euro 2022 in England. Thus the friendly against the United States will serve as an on-pitch test of sorts.
It will also showcase the informal people-to-people cultural exchanges that have inspired development of the game on both sides of the Atlantic, helping to reshape ideas of what’s possible for both French and American football.
The historic influence of the USWNT’s domestic popularity and support, particularly surrounding the 1999 World Cup, has long served as a beacon for many. Winning that year’s tournament on home soil was a key turning point that put the women’s game fully in the U.S. public spotlight. It was facilitated by several socio-cultural factors, including that women’s football was never outlawed or taboo (unlike in France, England, Brazil and much of the world) and the long-term impacts of Title IX’s sports provisions for women and girls. Footballeuses like current French Football Federation (FFF) Vice President Brigitte Henriques looked to North America with admiration for how society supported the women’s game in the 1990s.
The opportunity to play in the United States while pursuing a scholastic education—as well as the life education that comes from living abroad—has also influenced the French game. FFF Secretary General and former national team star Laura Georges attended and played for Boston College on a scholarship and has discussed how her U.S. experience helped mold her on and off pitch.
But the cultural exchange goes in the other direction, too, with numerous U.S. players learning about how professional teams can operate at the highest levels. Several Americans have spent time in the top French professional league, D1, notably at Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, the world’s most dominant professional club known for paying its players well and providing them with world-class facilities, trainers, and more. USWNT’s Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, and most recently, Catarina Macario, have all played for OL. Moreover, OL now owns the NWSL OL Reign based in Tacoma, Washington.
These are just a few examples of the transatlantic influences that continue to shape the game in both countries—a very different sort of Franco-Americain relationship than most people think of.
[1] “Dossier de Presse France - Angleterre et France - Etats-Unis - Avril 2021,” accessed April 11, 2021, https://presse.fff.fr/static/uploads/media/file/0001/03/6e8a3021166b743591442b80ecd600eb9916d6a1.pdf.