Judo: France name mixed team squad for the Europeans in Belgrade

France contest the European Mixed Team Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, on Saturday 7 November with twelve judoka, two per weight category. The French federation announced the squad on 27 October. The event counts towards the qualification ranking for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic mixed team tournament and decides the seedings.

The squad

For the women, Sarah-Léonie Cysique and Martha Fawaz are picked at -57 kg, Mathilde Chabal and Clémence Emé at -70 kg, and Célia Cancan and Léa Fontaine at +70 kg.

For the men, Joan-Benjamin Gaba and Maxime Gobert are named at -73 kg, Aleksa Mitrovic and Maxime-Gaël Ngayap Hambou at -90 kg, and Tieman Diaby and Yann Rigaud at +90 kg. Dayyan Boulemtafes, bronze medallist at -73 kg at the Baku World Championships in early October, is left out.

Daniel Fernandes leads the men's team and Lucie Décosse the women's group. Frédérique Jossinet, general manager of the French national teams, wants France to rediscover its level in team events.

A title to win back

France won this championship in 2022 and 2024 but finished only seventh last year in Podgorica, Montenegro. Around a dozen nations are expected in Belgrade. Georgia, the defending champions and bronze medallists at the last world team event, start as favourites, ahead of Russia, Italy, runners-up in 2025, and Germany, who took bronze.

In the mixed team format, two nations meet over six bouts, one per category: -57, -70 and +70 kg for women, -73, -90 and +90 kg for men. The first team to four wins goes through; at three-all, a randomly drawn category decides the tie.

The event sits between the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam (29 to 31 October) and the Croatia Grand Prix (13 to 15 November).