The 2025 season has come to a close, taking with it its share of victories, disappointments, and well-established habits. On the French fields, there was little suspense: Rouen and Saint-Raphaël once again dominated their respective championships, faithful to their status as heavyweights of French baseball and softball.
The PUC, crowned champion of Division 2, will return to the elite next year, relegating the Cometz de Metz to a season of regrets and bitterness.
Internationally, the light came from the South: the Comanches de Saint-Raphaël signed a historic triple — Challenge, Championship and European Cup — and dominated one of the major European softball competitions. Montpellier earned a well-deserved podium, while Rouen and Évry struggled to impose themselves beyond our borders.
The Blues in Slump
On the national team side, the assessment is more bitter.
The French senior baseball team finished in a painful 12th place, without a single victory — a performance that sparked outrage on social media. Among the women, France abandoned its European throne, slipping to third place in a competition it had dominated since its creation.
In short, a year without brilliance, like an autumn sky: gray, without storm or flash of genius.
Well-Organized Championships, but Lacking a New Breath
Nothing to complain about in terms of organization: the championships took place without major incidents, except for the traditional arbitration controversies and heated disqualifications.
But fundamentally, the general feeling is that of a dull season, without a vision for the future. The stands lack fervor, the fans lack spark, and structural projects are awaited.
There was a time when we dreamed of a national center in the Paris region, where we passionately debated the presence of baseball-softball at the 2024 Paris Games. Today, these hopes seem distant. Qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Games seems almost out of reach.
Talents Abroad Keeping the Flame Alive
Luckily, a few individual flashes are keeping the flame of French baseball alive.
Mathias Lacombe, author of a dazzling season with the White Sox, has been included in the list of rookies of the year, promising a radiant future on the mound.
Mathis Meurant and Eduardo Martinez also shone, the latter signing a fine season in the Minor League with the Brewers. Finally, Jordan Ouanyou joined the Cincinnati Reds organization.
These are precious successes, even if they remain too rare to sustainably nourish the columns of the national press.
Communication: A Slight Stir
In terms of media, progress is timid but real.
A MLB report on the Rouen Huskies has put a welcome spotlight on French baseball. And with 13 articles in L’Équipe this year (including three dedicated to French baseball), we are beginning to hope for a renewed interest.
Clubs and federations are exploring artificial intelligence tools to animate their social networks: polished visuals, punchy texts… sometimes successful, often perfectible.
In terms of broadcasting, progress is notable: the final of the French Women’s Softball Challenge even found its place on Sport en France.
A first working group has been set up to structure these broadcasts, proof that mentalities are evolving, slowly but surely.
2026 in Sight
The next season promises to be a year of transition.
Among the changes: a strengthening of the JFL rules in Divisions 1 and 2 (and their extension to D3), a merger of the pools in D2 baseball, and a regrouping of divisions in men’s softball.
These technical adjustments will not revolutionize the landscape, but testify to a desire to evolve.
On the continental level, WBSC Europe, supported by WBSC World, is now structuring its development around two axes:
- athlete development, with new lines of subsidies and aid,
- sport management and promotion, through support for infrastructure and communication.
Let’s hope that France will seize these opportunities to drive ambitious and structural projects.
Awaiting a New Impetus
In closing this 2025 season, a finding is imposed: French baseball and softball lack more collective breath than talent.
The game is being played, the clubs are working, the volunteers are investing. But where are the projects that inspire, those that rekindle passion and project our sports into the future?
All that remains is to hope that, behind the scenes, the federal elected officials are preparing this visionary surge — the one that will give everyone the desire to take up the bat again and believe in it once more.
