The French Rugby Federation (FFR) has officially launched a recruitment process to select the future coach of the French women's national team for the 2029 World Cup in Australia. The announcement, published this Monday on several specialist websites and on France Travail, aims to find a strong personality with solid high-level experience and natural leadership skills.
An ambitious search to revive the Blues
According to the FFR, the profile sought must be "a recognized manager," capable of leading an ambitious and unifying project. The future coach must also be fluent in English and have proven experience, "ideally with a female audience." The position, offered as a two-year renewable fixed-term contract, will be effective from January 5, 2026, at the Marcoussis National Rugby Center. Applications are open until November 3.
National technical director Olivier Lièvremont stated that the objective was clear: to build a solid project to lead Les Bleues to the world title. "The objective is the next World Cup," he stated, while specifying that the Federation was now favoring a "more traditional" format, with a single coach.
Mignot and Ortiz still potential candidates
This decision marks a turning point after the 2025 World Cup in England, where Les Bleues finished in fourth place, their worst result since 2010. The David Ortiz – Gaëlle Mignot duo, in office since 2023, had led the selection until then, before being called into question at the end of the tournament.
However, the FFR has not completely ruled out maintaining a two-man team: "Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz can obviously be candidates," added Olivier Lièvremont. The future coach, who will have a squad of 32 players under federal contract, will have to build on the existing foundations to create a new dynamic.
While awaiting the selection committee's decision, several names are already circulating, including Caroline Suné (U20), François Ratier (Stade Bordelais, former Canada coach) and Fabrice Ribeyrolles (Romagnat). The next chapter of the French women's XV will be written under the sign of renewal and global ambition.
