France – the ultimate Olympic underdog – proved they can hang with the best
They weren’t even supposed to be in Milan.
France didn’t qualify for the men’s Olympic hockey tournament naturally. Back in 2024, three teams advanced to the main event via the qualification tournament, and France wasn’t one of them. But the ban of Russia, who had earned an automatic berth due to their IIHF ranking, opened up the spot for France as the top team that didn’t make it on performance alone.
That news came on May 27, 2025. A week prior, France was one of two teams relegated to Division IA for the 2026 World Championship. So while the Olympic berth was welcomed, it was bittersweet knowing they’d have to fight to get back into the top 16 again. That’s a problem for another day.
Instead, France went to Italy with something to prove – to show they could hang with the international powers. A 4-0 loss to Switzerland didn’t exactly go to plan. France simply doesn’t have the firepower or NHL representation (beyond Montreal’s Alexandre Texier) to put up a fight against the top dogs. But that all seemed to change against Czechia. After allowing two tough goals early, it looked like we were set for a major blowout.
Who knows what was said in the change room after the first period, but everything changed. France scored three goals on four shots to kick off the second period, suddenly putting them in the lead. They ultimately lost 6-3, but it was a moment none of those players – especially Louis Boudon, who had two goals and an assist – will ever forget. NHLers are back at the Olympics. France is back for the first time since 2002.
And they made sure to show the world they wouldn’t be pushed over that easily.
As a country, France has a long history of participating in the Olympics, dating back to 1920. But after finishing 14th in 2002 (there are only 12 teams in 2026), they didn’t get back until the Russians were banned this year. They came up close a few times at the Olympic qualification events, but not close enough. For the most part, they’ve been a 12th- to 14th-place team throughout the 21st Century.
In international hockey, seizing the opportunity is everything. Few teams can match the pure skill teams like Canada, Sweden and the United States have, at any level. But we’ve seen underdogs pull off massive upsets – France beat Canada at the 2014 World Championship. That’s the beauty of tournaments like this: everyone lays it on the line every single night. Hockey is unpredictable. We nearly saw Latvia beat one of the greatest Canadian teams of all time at the 2014 Olympics. That’s why we love this event.
Even with the knowledge that France is more than likely going to come dead last in Group A, they can feel good about themselves. That might not be the case immediately, but given how the game started – esp
Let’s not forget France was essentially starting their third goalie, who wouldn’t have been there had starter Quentin Papillon not missed so much time due to injury. It was a moment the 20-year-old Martin Neckar will never forget.
France lacks the speed and skill of the rest of Group A. Texier is the team’s lone NHL rep, and he has yet to contribute anything meaningful on the scoresheet. But that’s what makes this even more special. On their biggest night in over two decades, France got goals from unlikely sources – two guys with a combined four career World Championship goals.
But France stared Czechia – with David Pastrnak, Martin Necas, Radko Gudas and many other accomplished players – straight in the face and didn’t back down. France was never going to win that game. But the fact that they kept it close is what makes this type of hockey fun. Sometimes, the big dogs make mistakes. It’s up to the others to make the most of it.
What happens next, though, is important. France will most certainly lose to Canada, and will likely be an underdog in the qualification round. Then, France will have to re-focus on the World Championship in hopes of getting back to the main event for 2027. Then, they need to find stability ahead of the 2030 Olympics in the French Alps. They have an automatic berth, but they’ll want to put up a fight in front of the home crowd and do significantly better than the two previous times they hosted the tournament.
For now, the fact they forced a real medal contender to wake up should excite French hockey fans. This program has been through a lot with little to cheer for. That one period might be enough to inspire a new generation to get excited about this team. And that’s – and the future ahead – is what really matters.
PRESENTED BY DAILY FACEOFF’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE
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