2026 Masters de Pétanque: Standings After 4 Stages

Les Étoiles du Sud - an all-African team built around Madagascar's Yves Rakotoarisoa and Jean-François Rakotondrainibé - sit atop the 2026 Masters de Pétanque standings with three of the tour's seven regular-season stages still to play. Here is the schedule, the results from every stage so far, and what it will take to reach the Final Four.

What Is the Masters de Pétanque?

Launched as a made-for-television answer to pétanque's need for a recurring, easy-to-follow domestic circuit, the Masters de Pétanque runs across French cities (with one stop in Spain) every summer weekend from June to September. A fixed roster of elite men's triplette teams - each built around a marquee captain - travels to every stage. Points earned at each stage feed a general classification; only the top four teams qualify for a season-ending Final Four. A parallel Masters Féminins circuit runs alongside the men's tour at most stops.

For more on how French domestic pétanque competitions are structured season to season, see our guide to pétanque tournament formats and the official rules of pétanque.

2026 Schedule

General Standings After Stage 4

Only nine points separate first from fourth, and Doerr's team sits just six points behind Zigler for the fourth and final Final Four spot heading into the back half of the season - so the last three stages should matter as much as the first four.

Stage-by-Stage Results

Stage 1 - Romans-sur-Isère (3-4 June)

Playing through heavy rain, Les Étoiles du Sud (Yves Rakotoarisoa, Jean-François Rakotondrainibé, Fara N'Diaye, and Marcel Gbetable) opened the tour with a dominant campaign, beating a Ligan Doerr-led team 13-3 in the semi-final before routing Team Zigler 13-0 in the final.

Rakotondrainibé plays under the nickname "Zigle" - not to be confused with Team Zigler, which is captained by a different player, Nelson Zigler, alongside Élie Benmergui, Mayron Baudino, and Mason Durk. Rakotondrainibé is also Madagascar's reigning Precision Shooting World Champion; read more on our Madagascar country profile.

Stage 2 - Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie (24-25 June)

Team Rocher (Dylan Rocher, Stéphane Robineau, and Jean-Michel Puccinelli) won its first stage of the season, beating Team Zigler 13-8 in a final that stayed level at 8-8 before Rocher's side closed it out with a five-point run. In the Masters Féminins event held alongside the men's stage, Valérie Jousse, Frédérique Segret, and Dorine Mesmin won 13-4.

Stage 3 - Montluçon (15-16 July)

Team Bonetto (Mickaël Bonetto) beat Team Rocher 13-7 in the final to win its first stage of the tour, after Rocher had eliminated Les Étoiles du Sud 13-4 and Bonetto had beaten the tour's "Dream Team" 13-7 in the semi-finals. In the women's event, France's Angélique Colombet and Anna Maillard beat Malhaury Perrin and Apolline Garrien 13-7.

Stage 4 - Saint-Étienne (22-23 July)

Team Bonetto - now with Ludovic Montoro and Christophe Sarrio alongside Mickaël Bonetto - beat Les Étoiles du Sud 13-3 in the final, after Bonetto survived a 13-11 semi-final against Doerr's team and Les Étoiles du Sud beat Team Zigler 13-6 in the other semi-final. The result vaulted Les Étoiles du Sud to the top of the general standings on points accumulated across the season, even without a stage win at Saint-Étienne itself, while dropping Rocher to third. In the women's event - held for the first time as the Trophée Masters Féminin - Aurélia Blasquez-Ruiz and Elodie Estève beat Cynthia Chastanet and Brenda Hiot 13-10.

The Road to the Final Four

With three stages left - Santa Susanna in Spain, Rognac, and Nevers - the four teams currently holding qualifying positions (Les Étoiles du Sud, Bonetto, Rocher, and Zigler) will be defending a narrow lead over Doerr's team and the rest of the field. We'll update this page with results after each remaining stage and with full Final Four coverage once the season concludes in September.

For more from this summer's French domestic season, see our recaps of the 2026 French Pétanque National Championships and Mondial la Marseillaise à Pétanque, and our profile of France's pétanque scene.