BOSTON — The French men's national soccer team utilized Global Crossing Airlines (GlobalX) for at least three domestic flights in 2026, traveling between World Cup games and their base camp in Boston. One aircraft used by the French team on July 4 had previously transferred detained immigrants from an Arizona detention center to Louisiana on July 1.

GlobalX operated more than half of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) removal flights in 2024 and 2025. The specific aircraft that transported the French team after their match against Paraguay flew 44 deportation-related flights during the current calendar year. This aircraft has conducted approximately 950 flights since 2022.

The French team's official Instagram account posted a video showing players boarding a flight from Philadelphia to Boston following France's 1-0 victory over Paraguay. In the video, Michael Olise passed a flight attendant, and a sticker displaying the GlobalX logo was visible on an overhead compartment.

Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 indicated that an Airbus aircraft departed Philadelphia International Airport around midnight Eastern Time on July 5, arriving at Boston Logan International Airport about 1 a.m. Sierra Randolph, data manager for ICE Flight Monitor, stated, "It's common for certain carriers to oscillate between operating ICE flights and other private entity charter flights, including athletic teams, within a week or even on the same day."

According to reports from The Daily Mail, England's national squad had a contract with GlobalX, and Iran used the airline for World Cup travel.