France men’s padel team 2026 World Championship ninth-place playoff against Qatar, Digi Mart USA News (Doha, Qatar): France’s men’s padel team, presented as the fourth-ranked nation based on the world rankings of its players, now finds itself competing for places nine to sixteen at the 2026 World Padel Championship in Doha. After being eliminated in the group stage, the French squad will face Qatar on Thursday, November 5, at 6 p.m.
local time (4 p.m. in metropolitan France).
France had been positioned to compete for the top places, behind Spain and Argentina. However, a 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands in the group stage upset those plans, leaving the team in the ninth-to-sixteenth bracket.
The French squad includes several players regularly on the international circuit, including Dylan Guichard, Thomas Leygue, Timéo Fonteny, Johan Bergeron and Bastien Blanqué. France can no longer aim for a medal, and its best possible finish is now ninth place in the world.
In the individual rankings, France’s players are placed as follows: Dylan Guichard (72nd in the world), Thomas Leygue (98th), Timéo Fonteny (107th), Yoan Boronad (175th), Johan Bergeron (186th) and Bastien Blanqué (201st). The highest-ranked Qatari players, Mashari Nawaf and Rashed Nawaf, are both 386th in the world, with Mohammed Al Khanji at 502nd.
According to the article, all eight selected French players are ranked higher than Qatar’s best player.
The main challenge for captain Pablo Aymà and assistant Yann Auradou will likely be motivating a group affected by the elimination, rather than finding the right pairings. Moving from a medal target to a ninth-place fight in a few days represents a considerable change in perspective.
If France wins against Qatar, it will face the winner of Mexico versus the United Arab Emirates in the semifinal of the placement bracket. In the other half, Paraguay versus the United States and Chile versus Australia are scheduled.
Even if France wins its last three matches, it will finish the championship well short of the positions it had expected.
The match is scheduled for Thursday, November 5, 2026, on Grand Stand 1 of the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha. France’s goal is to win its remaining three matches to finish ninth.
