{"id":2742,"date":"2026-07-10T02:52:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T21:52:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2742"},"modified":"2026-07-10T02:52:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T21:52:21","slug":"they-come-home-here-bentley-embraces-role-as-frances-world-cup-headquarters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2742","title":{"rendered":"\u2018They come home here\u2019: Bentley embraces role as France\u2019s World Cup headquarters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>As <a data-ylk=\"slk:France;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;France&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boston25news.com\/news\/local\/foxborough-finale-everything-know-about-france-morocco-world-cup-quarterfinal-boston-stadium\/J3O5WDBAXJGJFGEUUT7ZSCMGKI\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">France<\/a> continues its <a data-ylk=\"slk:2026 FIFA World Cup;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;2026 FIFA World Cup&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boston25news.com\/world-cup-boston-2026\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a> journey, Bentley University has found itself in the international spotlight as the team&#8217;s home base during the tournament.<\/p>\n<p>Bentley Athletic Director Vaughn Williams told Boston 25 News on Thursday that hosting one of soccer&#8217;s most successful national teams has had a tremendous impact on both the university and the surrounding community.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The amount of attention that the city&#8217;s getting and, obviously, Bentley University in every aspect that you can think of has been great for our institution and for the local community,&#8221; Williams said.<\/p>\n<p>France has trained at Bentley&#8217;s Waltham campus throughout the World Cup, regularly traveling between matches and returning to the university, which serves as its headquarters.<\/p>\n<p>Williams said the exposure generated by hosting the French national team has introduced Bentley and the city of Waltham to audiences from around the world.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading\">A memorable partnership<\/h3>\n<p>While the international attention has been significant, Williams said he has been most impressed by how France has conducted itself behind the scenes.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve just admired how they&#8217;ve gone about their business,&#8221; Williams said. &#8220;How friendly, how focused, and how they&#8217;ve structured the important work to prepare for each match.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He described the relationship between Bentley and France as more than simply a host arrangement.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They&#8217;ve been beyond great partners,&#8221; Williams said. &#8220;It&#8217;s been more of a partnership, a relationship and a friendship than anything.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Williams credited the university&#8217;s facilities, grounds, security, IT, and operations teams for creating an environment that has allowed France to feel at home throughout the tournament.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"heading\">France plans to stay at Bentley<\/h3>\n<p>With France still alive in the World Cup, Williams confirmed the team plans to continue training at Bentley for as long as its tournament run continues.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They&#8217;ve said they will continue to train as long as they&#8217;re in the tournament,&#8221; Williams said.<\/p>\n<p>France&#8217;s commitment to remaining at Bentley throughout the event is a point of pride for university officials, who see it as validation of the work that has gone into hosting one of the world&#8217;s premier national teams.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They consider Bentley University and Waltham home,&#8221; Williams said. &#8220;They come home after a match.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As <a data-ylk=\"slk:France plays in its quarterfinal showdown against Morocco;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;France plays in its quarterfinal showdown against Morocco&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boston25news.com\/news\/local\/france-morocco-rematch-boston-stadium-could-be-most-intriguing-world-cup-quarterfinal\/2TKPD6JSCFG2FAYXKIAJWRD6AQ\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">France plays in its quarterfinal showdown against Morocco<\/a> in Foxborough, Bentley officials will be watching closely and hoping their temporary residents can keep advancing.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We hope they&#8217;re in the tournament all the way to the final,&#8221; Williams said.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Download the <\/em><\/strong><a data-ylk=\"slk:FREE Boston 25 News app;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;FREE Boston 25 News app&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boston25news.com\/news\/local\/have-new-device-get-our-free-boston-25-news-weather-apps\/PDC6X7UKOFDBVPV5YJHG3CX36I\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><strong><em>FREE Boston 25 News app<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em> for breaking news alerts.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Follow Boston 25 News on <a data-ylk=\"slk:Facebook;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Facebook&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Boston25News\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Facebook<\/a> and <a data-ylk=\"slk:Twitter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Twitter&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/boston25\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Twitter<\/a>. | <a data-ylk=\"slk:Watch Boston 25 News NOW;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Watch Boston 25 News NOW&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yHasCommerce&quot;:false}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boston25news.com\/video\/live-stream\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Watch Boston 25 News NOW<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As France continues its 2026 FIFA World Cup journey, Bentley University has found itself in the international spotlight as the team&#8217;s home base during the tournament. Bentley Athletic Director Vaughn Williams told Boston 25 News on Thursday that hosting one of soccer&#8217;s most successful national teams has had a tremendous impact on both the university&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/8aa689fb3b44ae79c96c6a7a93803cd5e041c5126b8acf328ab6bdcf95e313ac\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w300_h200;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Fwfxt_cox_articles_703%2F10fc1f3d1d35ffad8f99611177355e10","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2742\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}