2011 Women's World Cup Preview - France

Jun 25, 2011 - 9:53 PM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - France was the most impressive team in the world in the group part of UEFA qualifying for the 2011 Women's World Cup, but coach Bruno Bini's team will face a huge step up in competition this summer.

France dominated Group 1 of UEFA qualifying, winning all 10 of its matches and outscoring opponents, 50-0 (no, that's not a typo). But France will not face a team like Iceland, Northern Ireland, Estonia, Serbia or Croatia in Germany.

"Those figures are very positive, flattering even. I wouldn't read too much into them, though," France captain Sandrine Soubeyrand said on UEFA's website. "All due respect to the teams we beat, who are developing nations on the international scene, but it's going to be a lot tougher for us in Germany."

The French came back down to earth in the playoff portion of qualifying, tying Italy 0-0 in the first leg before sealing a World Cup berth with a 3-2 victory in the second leg. Italy later lost a UEFA-CONCACAF playoff to the U.S.

France may escape Group A, which includes host and two-time defending champion Germany, CONCACAF champion Canada and African champion Nigeria, but Bini may also fail to lead the country to the knockout stage.

Regardless, "we're not going there for the sightseeing," Soubeyrand said.

The French have only qualified for one previous World Cup, in 2003, and failed to advance past the group stage that year. Bini has done well since taking the reins in 2007, however, including taking the team to the quarterfinals of Euro 2009.

The appearance in the quarterfinals was a first for France in the women's game and Bini hopes to produce a similar result in the World Cup this summer.

"We have a very strong side and our opponents in the group will not be looking forward to playing us," Bini said.

Although not the most talented player on the French side, Soubeyrand remains a key figure in midfield. She holds France's all-time mark with over 150 matches played, and the 37-year-old is a holdover from the 2003 team.

Bini will need 26-year-old midfield playmaker Camille Abily, who has played in France and the United States on the club level, to star in Germany.

Abily does not want to waste the opportunity at the World Cup, because getting back to the tournament in four years is never a guarantee.

"A lot of people want to play in the World Cup but never get the chance. We're going to do everything we can to make sure we don't waste it," Abily said.

"We're going to have a good tournament."

Along with Abily, striker Elodie Thomis and defenders Laura Georges and Sonia Bompastor will be the other key players this summer for France. Without major contributions from those four, and the emergence of others, Soubeyrand's dream ending may be unattainable.

"Winning the World Cup would be amazing," Soubeyrand said.

But even for a team ranked seventh in the world, it's a long shot.

PAST ACHIEVEMENTS:

-- FIFA World Cup qualifier: 2003.