France broke Poland in Gdańsk and returned to the top of Group A2
The France women's national football team took an important step toward direct qualification for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 with a 2:0 victory against Poland in the fifth round of the league phase of the UEFA European Qualifiers. The match was played on Friday, June 5, 2026, in Gdańsk, at the stadium that UEFA lists in its official data as Gdansk Stadium. After a goalless first half, the French national team, according to the technical report of the French Football Federation, decided the duel with goals from Melvine Malard in the 47th minute and Sandy Baltimore in the 63rd minute. Poland remained without a goal, and the defeat kept them at the bottom of Group A2 ahead of the final round. France, on the other hand, also took advantage of the result of the other match in the group, in which the Republic of Ireland defeated the Netherlands 3:2, and therefore regained first place.
The victory in Gdańsk for France was not only the result expected from one of Europe's strongest national teams, but also a response to the pressure that had built up after the April matches against the Netherlands. UEFA's schedule shows that France opened the qualifiers well in March with victories against the Republic of Ireland and Poland, but then in April lost away to the Netherlands and drew 1:1 at home with the same opponent. Because of that, the away match in Poland carried considerably more weight than an ordinary encounter against the last team in the group. France needed a secure performance, a goal after a period of dominance, and defensive stability that had often been missing in previous matches. According to FFF data, this victory brought France their first match without conceding a goal since June 20, 2025, ending a run of 13 matches in which they had conceded at least one goal.
Malard opened the match after halftime, Baltimore confirmed the victory
The first half ended without goals, although France, according to the FFF description, had more of the ball and more initiative. Poland defended in an organized enough manner for a long time to keep it 0:0, but they failed to maintain the same rhythm after the break. The decisive moment came immediately at the start of the second half, when Sakina Karchaoui won the ball with high pressing, drove the attack forward, and played Melvine Malard through at the right time. The France forward went one-on-one with Polish goalkeeper Kinga Seweryn and scored for 0:1 in the 47th minute. That goal changed the structure of the match because Poland had to search more openly for a comeback, while France gained space for quicker transitions and control of the tempo.
The second goal came in the 63rd minute and confirmed the difference in individual quality and the automatisms of the French attack. Sandy Baltimore first freed herself from Wiktoria Zieniewicz, and then played a combination with Malard on the edge of the penalty area. Malard returned the ball to her with one touch, and Baltimore finished the move with a powerful shot for 0:2. According to the FFF, Malard thereby recorded both a goal and an assist, while Baltimore continued an important qualifying run in which she is among the most productive French players. The FFF states that this was Melvine Malard's 13th goal in her 40th appearance for France and Sandy Baltimore's 12th goal in her 57th appearance.
Poland did not take advantage of rare situations in front of the French goal
The Poland national team, led by Nina Patalon, entered the match aware that they had to play an almost perfect game against France in order to remain competitive. In attack, the greatest attention was on Ewa Pajor, the captain and best-known player of the Polish national team, whom UEFA singled out in the group preview as one of Poland's key figures after their historic appearance at UEFA Women's EURO 2025. The French defense managed to keep her, for most of the match, outside the zones in which she most often decides matches. Head coach Laurent Bonadei, after the match, according to the FFF publication, emphasized that the entire team carried out intense pressing and that Thiniba Samoura and Maëlle Lakrar were very solid in the defensive phase. He particularly singled out the intervention by Constance Picaud-Inconnu against Pajor in the 60th minute, in the period when France had a minimal lead and when an equalizer could have completely changed the finale.
For Poland, the match confirmed a problem that runs through the entire Group A2: the team is competitive in certain periods, but struggles to turn possession and transitions into concrete goals against teams from the top of League A. In the five rounds played so far, Poland, according to UEFA results, have won only one point, and that was in the first round against the Netherlands, when they drew 2:2. After that came defeats to France, the Republic of Ireland in two head-to-head matches, and again to France in Gdańsk. The fact that Poland remained without a goal in their final home appearance of the league phase further emphasizes the weight of the final round, in which they visit the Netherlands. Although direct qualification is no longer within realistic reach, the final position is important because of the play-off system and status for the next cycle of UEFA competitions.
The result in Dublin further opened up the fight for first place
In the same group, the Republic of Ireland defeated the Netherlands 3:2, and that result significantly changed the top of the table before the final round. According to the FFF overview of the group, France after five matches played have 10 points and a goal difference of +5. The Republic of Ireland are second with 9 points and a goal difference of +1, the Netherlands third with 8 points and a goal difference of +1, while Poland have 1 point and a goal difference of -7. Such a schedule means that France no longer have to wait for someone else's slip-up if they defeat the Republic of Ireland in the final round. The match between France and the Republic of Ireland will be played on June 9, 2026, in Grenoble, and UEFA lists the same 21:00 time for the Netherlands – Poland match as well.
For France, that scenario is extremely important because UEFA's qualifying format gives direct qualification to the World Cup only to the winners of the four League A groups. All other national teams from League A enter the play-offs, which means that even second place, although valuable in sporting terms, does not bring automatic departure to Brazil. The FFF emphasized after the match that France have their fate in their own hands in the final round. A victory against the Republic of Ireland would keep them at the top of Group A2 regardless of the outcome of the match in the Netherlands. Any other result would open up room for combinations in which Ireland or the Netherlands could take over the key position.
The wider qualifying framework and the road to Brazil
UEFA's European qualifiers for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 are organized through a league system, similar to the UEFA Women's Nations League. According to UEFA's guide, 53 national teams participate in the league phase, distributed across three leagues: 16 teams each in Leagues A and B, and 21 teams in League C. The four winners of the League A groups will secure direct qualification for the final tournament, while the remaining national teams will seek their path through the play-offs. UEFA states that Europe has a total of 11 guaranteed places at the World Cup, with the possibility of one more participant through the intercontinental play-offs. The first phase ends on June 9, 2026, and the play-off matches are scheduled for the autumn, from October to December.
The final tournament of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 will be held in Brazil from June 24 to July 25, 2027, according to FIFA's official data. It will be the first edition of the Women's World Cup in South America and the tenth edition of the competition. The qualifying weight of Group A2 is therefore greater than the fight for prestige alone, because first place makes it possible to avoid the demanding autumn play-offs. France restored control over that battle with the victory in Poland, but they have not yet finished the job. Poland, regardless of the defeat, approach the final round with the obligation to improve the impression away to the Netherlands and try to influence the final outcome of the group.
Technical framework of the match
According to the official technical records of the FFF, the match in Gdańsk ended with the result Poland – France 0:2, with 0:0 at halftime. The main referee was Kirsty Dowle from England, and UEFA lists Georgia Ball and Isabel Chaplin, also from England, as assistant referees. The fourth official was Grace Lowe. Poland received two yellow cards, Paulina Dudek in the 41st minute and Martyna Wiankowska in the fifth minute of added time, while Maëlle Lakrar was cautioned in the 74th minute for France. These details confirm that the match, despite its importance and physical battle, ended without sendings-off and without penalty kicks.
- Competition: UEFA Women's European Qualifiers for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027, League A, Group A2, 5th round
- Match: Poland – France 0:2
- Halftime: 0:0
- Venue: Gdańsk, Gdansk Stadium, according to UEFA match data
- Goalscorers: Melvine Malard 47., Sandy Baltimore 63.
- Head coaches: Nina Patalon for Poland, Laurent Bonadei for France
- Next Group A2 matches: France – Republic of Ireland and Netherlands – Poland, June 9, 2026, at 21:00
France preserved, Poland without an answer
France in Gdańsk completed the job that was necessary to continue the fight for direct qualification to the World Cup. It was not a match decided by early pressure on the scoreboard, but an encounter in which the favorites had to patiently wait for the moment when Poland's defense would lose concentration. When Malard scored immediately after the break, France gained control of the result, and Baltimore's goal turned the finale into managing the advantage. Poland did not find the final pass or a sufficiently high-quality shot to open up the match, and the absence of a goal clearly fits into the picture of a team that is still seeking continuity in League A against the strongest opponents. The final round now brings two parallel matches in which France will defend first place, Ireland will seek a direct jump to the top, the Netherlands will hope for a scenario that suits them, and Poland will try to finish the cycle with a result that would soften their difficult position in the table.
Sources:
- Fédération Française de Football – report, technical match data, goalscorers, head coach reaction, and the situation in Group A2 (link)
- UEFA – official results and schedule of the UEFA Women's European Qualifiers for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 (link)
- UEFA – official match data for Poland – France, stadium and refereeing team (link)
- UEFA – guide to the European qualifying format, allocation of places, and play-offs (link)
- FIFA – official data on the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027, host and dates of the final tournament (link)