🇫🇷 FRENCH SQUAD RECLAIMS CHAMPIONSHIP FORM WITH TEAM GOLD IN BUDAPEST
Updated: Aug 5
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY — 29 MARCH 2026
The second-seeded France Men’s Sabre team asserted their tactical superiority in the Hungarian capital, capturing the gold medal at the Budapest World Cup. The powerhouse lineup—comprising Jean-Philippe Patrice, individual bronze medallist Sebastien Patrice, reigning European Champion Remi Garrigue and Maxime Pianfetti—produced a dominant final performance to defeat a resilient Romania 45–34.
The victory marks France’s second team World Cup title of the 2025–26 campaign, mirroring their golden run at the season opener in Algiers and solidifying their place as prime World title contenders.
Romania took home the silver medal, securing their second podium finish of the season. The Republic of Korea bounced back to claim the bronze, while the United States completed the weekend in fourth place.
Path to the Podium
France (World number 2) navigated a highly competitive path to the top step. After an initial victory over Hong Kong, they engaged in a gruelling quarter-final battle against world number 7 Japan, advancing 45–42. Their semi-final encounter with South Korea was an instant classic, with the French squad displaying incredible execution under pressure to edge out a 45–41 win. In the final, France seized control during the middle legs, effectively shutting down Romania's offensive options to cruise to an 11-touch victory.
Romania (World number 8) showcased exceptional teamwork to reach the final. The squad—featuring Vlad Covaliu, George Dragomir, Radu Nitu and Razvan Ursachi—opened their direct elimination account by dismantling world number 9 Poland 45–27. After a comfortable quarter-final victory over Spain, the Romanians controlled the strip in the semi-finals, defeating the USA 45–34 to repeat their silver-medal achievement from the Algiers World Cup.
The Republic of Korea (World number 5) rebounded from their narrow semi-final loss to capture the bronze medal with a statement performance. The lineup of Do Gyeongdong, Lim Jaeyoon, Oh Sanguk and Park Sangwon looked absolutely clinical in the third-place play-off. They jumped out to an early lead against the United States and never looked back, storming to a 45–26 victory to lock down their second podium of the campaign.
The USA (World number 4) put together a strong top-four finish to follow up their silver medal from the Salt Lake City World Cup. Daryl Homer, Antonio Heathcock, Colin Heathcock and Grant Williams engineered a hard-fought 45–40 victory over a dangerous Egyptian squad in the quarter-finals before their momentum was checked in the medal rounds.
