Baseball in France

Baseball is a growing minor sport in France. The sport in France is managed by the French Federation of Baseball and Softball, founded in October 1924. The first baseball game played on French soil dates to March 8, 1889, as part of the Spalding World Tour, while the first championship took place before the First World War. Despite its roots in the late 19th century, baseball is still perceived in France as an exotic sport in the American image; as a result, French media gives it little attention.

Recognized as a high-level sport by the Ministry of Sports, French baseball takes full advantage of the characteristic structures of French sports, DTN and high level poles first and foremost. This training-oriented policy has borne fruit with encouraging first results, such as an 11th place finish by the French junior team at the World Championship in 2010, with the first international French victory. Four Frenchmen signed with professional organizations of Major League Baseball between 2007 and 2012: Joris Bert, Frédéric Hanvi, Andy Paz and Alexandre Roy

The French national baseball team is a consistent third behind the two strong European nations, Italy and the Netherlands. The situation is similar in club baseball, but the Rouen Huskies showed that it was possible to shake up the European hierarchy by reaching the finals of the European Baseball Cup in 2007 and the semifinals in 2012.