Players from France's FIFA World Cup 2026™ squad took time away from their preparations at Bentley University in Boston to connect with local children, signing autographs and posing for selfies in a moment that those young fans will cherish for years to come.

The visit was organised under the Be Active initiative, a joint programme between FIFA and the World Health Organization (WHO) that was first launched before the FIFA World Cup 2022™. The programme was designed to tackle a troubling WHO finding: four out of five children worldwide are not getting enough physical activity each day.

Stars on the pitch and off it

Among those who met the children were Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, who greeted the youngsters after the squad's open training session — their first tournament training day at the team's base camp. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey also attended, praising Bentley University's facilities and its role in welcoming manager Didier Deschamps' side.

The children had gathered as part of Be Active football clinics organised with the support of Massachusetts Youth Soccer. Michael Ndoumbe, assistant technical director of Massachusetts Youth Soccer, described the day as a landmark occasion for all involved.