Comancher'ooo

There was ultimately no surprise in the 2026 edition of the French Challenge. The favorites, given their domination since the start of the season, the Saint‑Raphael Comanches fully embraced their status. Even better: they breezed through the qualifying rounds before showing solidity, control and composure at the decisive moments, in the semi‑final and the final.

First lesson of this tournament: the top three in the league also finish in the top three of the Challenge. Pessac confirmed its resilience and offensive power, notably posting the best batting average of the tournament. But behind this expected podium, the hierarchy still sent some interesting signals. Nice, despite struggling in the league, found the resources to secure a nice fourth place. For Colombes and Grenoble, however, the competition proved more difficult.

This reminds us that the league, split into two halves with a summer break for the European championships — where Évry and Saint‑Raphael will be involved — could still hold a few surprises.

The final, it seemed for a long time destined for a quick finish. At 7-0 in the end of the fifth inning, Saint‑Raphael looked headed straight for a mercy rule victory. But that was before the awakening of the Pharaonnes d’Evry Courcouronnes, who scored four runs in that same inning and completely revived the suspense. The crowd even thought, for a moment, that Emma Liminier’s swing was headed for a home run. Finally ruled a foul ball, that play will likely remain the turning point of the match.

We will return in more detail, in a future article, on the major lessons from this French Challenge. In the meantime, we must applaud the well‑deserved triumph of the Comanches, who also secure their ticket to a new European Cup in 2027. Kudos also to all the teams for the level of play offered under demanding conditions, under a scorching sun that forced several cooling breaks.

Finally, a big shout‑out to the institutions, the volunteers in Valenciennes and the Vipères club, whose commitment made this 2026 edition run in the best possible conditions.