France left the Four Seasons Hotel in the Back Bay at 1:15 p.m. on Thursday after fans had spent hours outside hoping to catch a glimpse of the team before its game against Morocco in Foxborough. The crowd had grown to about 100 people by the time hotel security, FIFA security and Boston police cleared the entrance and moved everyone to both sides of the driveway so the players could board the bus.
The wait began early. Anton Honikman and his 14-year-old son, Sammy, got there at 9:15 a.m., and Sean Paul Cormier arrived at 9:30 a.m. Cormier, who owns French Bouquet of Boston, said he had come with a simple plan: stay, watch and enjoy the moment. He had hoped to see stars such as Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise, and Honikman said it would be a thrill to catch even a quick glimpse of the players. For many fans, that was the draw — a World Cup team in the city, close enough to see before kickoff.
The mood outside the hotel turned into a mix of anticipation and impatience as the hours passed. Fans chanted for the players, but most of the French squad came out with earbuds in and eyes straight ahead, walking directly from the hotel to the bus without stopping. Shawn Kweon said he saw Jules Koundé wave to the crowd, and Leila Santos, after spotting the players, said, “We will win.”
That brief scene captured the tension of the day: a rare chance for supporters to stand inches from France before a 4 p.m. game, and a team that was already moving on. The hotel stop was only a pause before departure to Boston Stadium, not a public appearance, and for most of the people who waited there, the answer to whether they would get more than a glance was already clear by the time the bus pulled away.
