Bentley University chosen as France training base for World Cup | OneFootball

France will base themselves at Bentley University in Waltham, north-west of Boston, for the World Cup, having dropped plans for Babson College. According to L'Équipe, the federation views Bentley as less cosy but more functional and cheaper, around 35 minutes from the city without traffic.

The 66-hectare red-brick campus hosts 4,000 students studying finance and business, with annual fees of 65,000 to 80,000 dollars (56,000 to 69,000 euros).

The team’s base will be a facility opened in 2018 for Bentley’s ice hockey team. It includes a 2,000-seat rink on entry and well equipped dressing rooms with an NBA-style feel. The gym is compact beside a balneotherapy area, and the site is less bright and spacious than Babson.

Staff had visited both sites before settling on Bentley, which they found readier to host them and where they felt genuinely welcomed. Athletic director Vaughn Williams said the university is excited to welcome France and will do everything possible to provide the best conditions.

Pitch condition is the main focus. Didier Deschamps returned on Thursday with FFF president Philippe Diallo, asked the grounds manager if the surface was in good shape, and received a blunt no, which reassured him about local standards.

Williams cited a snow-heavy winter but was confident the pitch will improve quickly and that Bentley will be ready. The campus will be largely empty in summer, and students spoken to on Thursday were excited, with one, Andrew, calling it an ideal, quiet place and namechecking Kylian Mbappé.

Source: L'Équipe