France's women's football team failed to secure the victory they desperately needed on Saturday, drawing 1-1 with the Netherlands at the Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps in Auxerre, a city in central Burgundy. The result leaves France trailing the Dutch by a point at the top of their World Cup qualifying group, with only the group winner guaranteed a direct place at the 2027 tournament in Brazil.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto, the Lyon striker, gave France the lead just before half-time with a powerful header from a precise cross by Sandy Baltimore, sending the crowd of 8,334 into celebration. France appeared to grow in confidence after the break and seemed in control of the match — until a moment of Dutch precision changed everything. Wieke Kaptein, the young Chelsea midfielder, headed home a perfectly weighted cross from Esmee Brugts of FC Barcelona with 14 minutes to play, cancelling out France's advantage. Grace Geyoro came close to restoring France's lead moments later, but her fierce shot struck the crossbar.
The draw compounded a difficult week for France, who had also lost 2-1 to the Netherlands in Breda on Tuesday despite dominating much of that game. A recurring defensive frailty has now seen France concede in 13 consecutive matches. The Dutch, meanwhile, were without several key players — including their all-time top scorer Vivianne Miedema, who has 95 goals in 118 international appearances — yet still managed to leave France without a win across both fixtures.
For the Netherlands, the point was enough to close out this international window at the top of the group. Coach Arjan Veurink's side can now seal direct World Cup qualification in June, when they face Ireland away and Poland at home — opponents considered more modest than France. France coach Laurent Bonadei, who made four changes to his starting line-up after Tuesday's defeat, will be left to hope for a Dutch slip-up while facing Poland and Ireland in the same final round of qualifiers.
Why this matters: direct qualification is far more straightforward than the playoff route, and for France — ranked sixth in the world — failing to top the group would be a significant blow to their World Cup preparations. The two meetings with the Netherlands this week have underscored a clear gap in efficiency: France dominated both matches in terms of possession and pressure but could not convert that control into results, a problem that coach Bonadei will need to address urgently before June.