France Fans in Boston: Where Les Bleus Are Living, Training, and Playing — World Cup 2026

Here is the headline most travel guides are missing: France is not visiting Boston for one match. France is living in Boston for the entire group stage.

The French Football Federation has booked the entire 239-room Four Seasons Boston in the Back Bay for 35 days, from late May through the end of June. They have also established their training base at Bentley University in Waltham, just outside Boston, where Didier Deschamps's squad will train every day from approximately June 10 through June 30. The base camp at Bentley is a last-minute switch from Babson College, finalized in March.

For French fans, this changes the entire trip. Boston is not just a city where Les Bleus play one match — it is effectively their American home for the duration of their tournament. Here is what you need to know.

The Match

France play one group stage match at Gillette Stadium: Norway vs France on Friday, June 26 at 3pm ET. This is the third and final match of France's Group I campaign. Erling Haaland against Kylian Mbappé. Two of the best strikers in the world on the same pitch.

France's other group matches are at MetLife Stadium in New York vs Senegal (June 16) and in Philadelphia vs Iraq (June 22). All three are reachable from Boston via the Amtrak Northeast Corridor — more on that below.

Where to Watch

FIFA Fan Festival, City Hall Plaza. The official Boston fan zone. Free, capacity 5,000, big screens. For a 3pm Friday kick-off in late June, the Fan Festival will be packed. The combination of French traveling support, the local French and Francophone diaspora (Boston has significant Haitian and West African communities), and curious locals will create a real atmosphere. This is the largest single watch venue in the city. 15-minute walk from South Station.

The Banshee, Dorchester. Boston's most established football pub. Multiple supporter clubs use it as a home base, multiple screens, opens early for European fixtures. For France vs Norway, expect a strong turnout. The Banshee is genuinely neutral on team allegiance — they show every match and the staff knows what they are doing. JFK/UMass on the Red Line.

Phoenix Landing, Cambridge. The other essential football bar in greater Boston. Near Central Square on the Red Line. Showed football religiously for years and built a real community. France vs Norway will draw a good crowd here.

The Dubliner, Downtown. Sits directly across from the Fan Festival at City Hall Plaza. If you want to combine the Fan Festival atmosphere with proper bar service, this is the move.

The Bentley University area, Waltham. The unique angle for French fans. Les Bleus will be training at Bentley from approximately June 10–30. While the training facility itself is closed to the public and Bentley's lower campus has been locked down for the team's exclusive use, the surrounding area in Waltham will be where Les Bleus actually live and move during the tournament. Hotels, cafés, and restaurants near Bentley will be unusually busy with French staff, journalists, and fans hoping to spot the squad. If you want to be where France actually is, Waltham is your move.

The Four Seasons Boston, Back Bay. France has booked all 239 rooms. You will not be staying there. You will not be casually wandering the lobby. But the Four Seasons sits at 200 Boylston Street on the edge of the Public Garden, and the surrounding blocks of Back Bay will be the unofficial French zone in the city. The cafés and restaurants of Newbury Street, Boylston Street, and the area around the Boston Public Garden are where French fans, journalists, and curious onlookers will congregate throughout the tournament.

Where to Eat — French in Boston

Boston has a small but real French restaurant scene. These are the spots that are genuinely French-owned, French-staffed, or serving authentic French food.

Mistral, South End. One of Boston's most established upscale French restaurants. Provençal-influenced menu, serious wine program, the kind of place where you take a celebration meal or a long lunch. 223 Columbus Avenue.

Frenchie Wine Bistro, South End. A classic Parisian-style wine bistro. Small, lively, the kind of place that feels like a neighborhood spot in the 11th arrondissement. 560 Tremont Street.

Aquitaine, South End. French bistro with classic dishes — steak frites, escargot, the canon. A fixture of the South End for years. 569 Tremont Street.

Deuxave, Back Bay. Modern French with serious technique. More fine dining than bistro. Walking distance from where the French squad is staying, which means it will likely be very busy throughout June. 371 Commonwealth Avenue.

Petit Robert Bistro. French bistro with multiple Boston locations. Reliable, casual, French staff, and a solid wine list. The Kenmore Square location is the most central.

Cafe Sauvage, Back Bay. A more recent addition to the Boston French scene. Modern French café/bistro hybrid in the Newbury Street area.

For pastries and breakfast: Tatte Bakery has multiple Boston locations and serves French-influenced pastries and breakfasts. Not strictly French, but the closest thing Boston has to a Parisian café for a morning coffee and a croissant.

The Northeast Corridor: Following France All Three Matches

France's three group matches are perfectly suited to the Northeast Corridor train route. If you want to attend all three without flying, here is the geography:

  • June 16 — Senegal vs France, MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey (4 hours from Boston by Amtrak)
  • June 22 — France vs Iraq, Philadelphia (5.5 hours from Boston by Amtrak, or 1.5 hours from New York)
  • June 26 — Norway vs France, Gillette Stadium, Boston (the home match for any French fan basing in the city)

The natural play: base in Boston, travel down for the New York and Philadelphia matches, return to Boston for the Norway match. Amtrak runs the Northeast Regional and the faster Acela service multiple times daily. Book in advance for cheaper fares.

We have built a trip builder to help fans plan multi-city itineraries.

Getting to the Stadium

Gillette Stadium is in Foxborough, roughly 25 miles south of Boston. It is not in the city. There is no regular public transport.

The MBTA is running special event commuter rail trains from South Station in Boston direct to Foxborough. Fourteen trains per match. Tickets are bought in advance through the MBTA app and they sell fast. You need a match ticket to buy a train ticket. Round trip tickets are priced at $80 — about four times the normal Patriots/Revolution gameday rate.

Stadium Express buses are also being organised, departing from large hotels across the city and within the Route 128 belt. Open to everyone, not just hotel guests.

If you are driving, parking at Gillette has been reduced from 20,000 spots to around 5,000 for World Cup matches. Remaining spots will run $150 to $600. Take the train.

What You Need to Know About Boston Bars

You will need ID to enter any bar regardless of your age. Bring your passport. Some venues will accept a photo on your phone; many will only accept the original document.

The drinking age is 21. Strictly enforced.

Tipping is not optional. Standard is $1 per drink minimum or 18-20% on a tab. This is different from France. Get used to it.

Bar closing times are between midnight and 2am depending on licence. Earlier than France.

The Bigger Picture

For French fans, Boston this June is a unique situation. Your team is essentially based in the city for three weeks. You will not be visiting Boston as much as you will be sharing it with Les Bleus. The Back Bay around the Four Seasons, the Newbury Street cafés, the area around Bentley University in Waltham — these are going to feel French in a way Boston has never felt before.

You will also be sharing the city with Scotland fans (in town for matches on June 13 and June 19), English fans (England play Ghana at Gillette on June 23, three days before your match), and Moroccan fans (in town for the Scotland vs Morocco match on June 19). The week of June 19–26 will be the most concentrated football week in Boston's history.

Add to that Sail Boston (tall ships arriving July 11–16) and America 250 celebrations, and you have a city operating at maximum intensity for the entire summer.

France enter the tournament as one of the favourites. The squad is one of the deepest in international football. The geography — based in Boston, travelling out for two matches and playing one at home — could not be better suited to a deep tournament run. Boston might end up being the city where Les Bleus's title defence really takes shape.

If you are coming to follow them, you are coming to the right place at the right time.

Allez les Bleus.

Must Love Futbol is a World Cup 2026 travel and fan-culture platform with city guides for all 16 host cities. Explore the full Boston city guide, the Gillette Stadium guide, or plan a multi-city trip with the Northeast Classic itinerary.