Captain Héléna Cazaute Ruled Out of European Championship
France's national team captain Héléna Cazaute withdraws from the European Championship due to a persistent back injury.
French national team captain Héléna Cazaute will miss the 2026 European Championship, which begins August 21 across Sweden, Belgium, Italy, and Turkey, due to an ongoing back injury.
Cazaute, an outside hitter for VakıfBank, has been dealing with the injury for several weeks and had already missed France's final Nations League matches. Despite treatment, she has not recovered sufficiently to compete at the tournament. Her absence is a significant blow for coach César Hernandez's squad, as Cazaute has been one of the team's key leaders and has worn the captain's armband for several seasons. She is coming off an outstanding season with VakıfBank, winning the Turkish championship and the Champions League.
Cazaute shared a message of support for her teammates, saying the decision to withdraw was difficult since she would have liked to be there to fully contribute. She wished her teammates an excellent competition, with success, determination, and solidarity, adding that she remains confident they will represent the team well and that she will be following their journey with pride despite her absence.
