U20 WWC Stars: From athletics to the World Cup in seven years: Célia Chabod’s rapid rise

Sometimes, life has different path for you. France's Célia Chabod did not start playing football until she was 12. Before that, she had spent six years competing in athletics, and it was her older brother, a footballer himself, who inspired her to take up the game. Her rapid rise continues at this year’s tournament, where she will be pushing for her chance.

In July 2019, she joined the small local club Triangle d’Or Jura Foot. Six years later, she signed her first professional contract with Montpellier.

Her rise was remarkably quick, and it was no fluke. In the 2021/22 season, she scored 82 goals in the first 11 matches for the U15 side at regional level.

Regional coaches soon took notice and, in 2022, she was admitted to the Pôle Espoirs in Lyon. She then joined Dijon, where her progress continued and brought her a senior top flight debut in 2023, as well as her first appearance for France U16.

Overcoming a setback

A year later came the first major test of her mental resilience. France faced Poland with a place at the U17 World Cup at stake and, after a draw, the tie went to penalties.

Chabod missed her attempt and France lost the shootout 4-2. She later admitted that she blamed herself for the miss and that it affected her mentally for some time.

In 2025, she returned to Poland for the U19 European Championship. This time, France went all the way to the final and it was in Poland that they secured their place at the U20 World Cup. They eventually lost to Spain in the final. Chabod described the tournament as a small measure of revenge for the painful ending to the previous European Championship.

Climbing through the ranks

In the meantime, she had changed clubs. In the summer of 2024, she left Dijon for Montpellier, although during the week she was still finishing school at the Pôle Espoirs in Lyon.

In the opening phase of the U19 competition, she scored 12 goals in ten matches for Montpellier. Then, in August 2025, she signed her first professional contract.

The step up to the professional game was not straightforward. In the 2025/26 season, she made 15 appearances in the top flight, but started only once.

She spoke openly about the frustration of limited playing time, although her role gradually grew. Professional football, she says, forced her to think and react more quickly.

One example is her reaction after losing possession. She used to need two or three seconds before switching into defensive mode, so she spent a month working specifically on turning that response into a habit.

Exciting prospect

Above all, though, she is a dynamic and quick forward, the kind of player who makes matches exciting to watch. She can play out wide or through the middle and names Delphine Cascarino and Lauren James among her role models.

Now 19, Célia Chabod is is playing on her first World Cup. France faced South Korea, Ecuador and Ghana in the group stage as a group's favourite. At this stage, she does not look set to be the team’s headline star or to have a guaranteed place in the starting XI. 

But there is every reason to look forward to seeing her seize every opportunity that comes her way, just as she has throughout a career that has so far been remarkably short, rapid and successful.