‘We feel at home’: French national team reflects on Boston, Bentley experience during World Cup

While fans see the French national team for just 90 minutes on match day, most of the tournament unfolds behind the scenes.

Since the World Cup kicked off, the French national team has been staying in Boston and using Bentley University as its training base. One of the main factors that drew the team to Greater Boston was the hospitality it experienced.

In an interview with the Waltham Times, Mohamed Sanhadji, the French Football Federation’s head of security and liaison officer, offered insight into the delegation’s experience in Greater Boston and its daily routine.

“We felt that Boston City, Massachusetts State, wanted the French national team,” Sanhadji said.

The French delegation chose Boston, where it is staying at the Four Seasons Hotel, while looking for a place that could feel like home during the tournament. It wanted good conditions, which it found at Bentley University.

“We can find equipment everywhere. We found [at Bentley] a sincere cooperation, a nice cooperation. All the responsible people of the University of Bentley wanted France, so for us, it was easy. They made things very easy for us,” Sanhadji said.

Sanhadji also shared the team’s admiration for the university since day one.

“We are their guests, but they gave us the keys. It’s why it’s like a union, a strong union, a positive union, one union,” Sanhadji said.

Sanhadji described the team’s daily routine in Boston. A typical day begins with breakfast, which runs until 9:30 a.m., after which players head to the gym and attend meetings.

Around 12:30 p.m., players have lunch, followed by a 30-minute nap. Then the team heads to training. After returning to the hotel, players do recovery work, including massages and stretching, as well as individual or group exercises.

The day ends with dinner around 8:30 p.m., followed by more recovery. Each player has their own room and devices to review past games or preview upcoming opponents.

“They have to always think football,” Sanhadji said.

Although players have not had much time to explore the Boston area, members of the physical therapy, administration and logistics staff have visited sites such as Boston Common.

For Sanhadji, those moments reflect the team’s philosophy, which extends beyond football and centers on building community and relationships.

“Our philosophy is to share more than football. I mean, football is only 90 minutes a match, for a game. What we would like is to create together, to advance together, to build together bridges in a positive way for us, for you, for everyone in the world. That’s why we have chosen Boston and Bentley University,” Sanhadji said.

Sanhadji said the delegation is grateful for the welcome it has received from Boston, Waltham and Bentley.

“It was an honor for us to reside in our hotel, like at home. The hotel, the governor, the mayor, the head of Bentley University—it was an honor for us to be with them, to receive them, to share with them,” Sanhadji said.

Bentley expressed gratitude that the French national team chose the university as its training base. To make the team feel at home, university staff worked behind the scenes.

“Our entire campus came together for this—Athletics, Facilities, Police, IT, Communications—this touches everyone … Our field crew worked seven days a week, overseeding, growing in the grass, cutting it to just under an inch and mowing the precise field pattern. France wanted the field to mimic the stadium in Foxboro and that’s what our crew delivered,” said Vaughn Williams, Bentley University athletic director.

The partnership went both ways, and Williams said the university was happy to work with the French national team.

“Now France is here and they’re happy. They have been tremendous partners and we’re thrilled to have delivered for them,” Williams said.

For the French delegation, Bentley has become more than a training base—it has become a home away from home during the 2026 World Cup.