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The scene is a room in Paris’ La Chapelle district, to the north-east of the French capital’s city centre.

A big screen has been configured to show two World Cup games happening simultaneously on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean: France against Norway and Senegal’s must-win group finale with Iraq.

Space is at a premium. An outdoor terrace housing another six screens and a fan zone has already reached capacity, forcing many of those in attendance inside on what has been a stiflingly hot Friday when temperatures hit 40C (104F).

France is in the middle of a heatwave but enthusiasm for the World Cup, and France and Senegal in particular, cannot be dampened.

Fans in La Chapelle watch France and Senegal simultaneously (Patrick Boyland/The Athletic)

La Chapelle is known for its large African community. It was on the streets of Paris’ 18th arrondissement that many of the city’s Senegal supporters celebrated the Africa Cup of Nations final win against Morocco in January, a result that would later be overturned by the continent’s governing body, CAF.

Five months on, French fans here sing the national anthem, La Marseillaise, before kick-off in the Norway game and chant “Ousmane, Ballon d’Or” after Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele opens the scoring. Those in Senegal green or white bellow the name of their midfielder Pape Gueye after his second-half double puts them firmly on top against Iraq.

To some outsiders, the atmosphere may look curiously convivial. In Europe and North America, anti-immigration sentiment is on the rise. Polls have Jordan Bardella of the far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) as the favourite for next year’s French presidential election. Yet at full time, those in attendance in La Chapelle celebrate a crucial Senegal win that clinches qualification for the round of 32 with just as much fervour as if it were a France victory.

Paris and the other major French cities are full of ‘binationaux’ (dual nationals). Double goalscorer Gueye was born in the eastern Paris suburb of Montreuil before moving to Le Havre on the north coast, while Iliman Ndiaye, who netted Senegal’s fifth, hails from Rouen in Normandy.

At least as far as this World Cup is concerned, France has become the biggest developer and exporter of talent globally.

Ninety-nine of the players selected by the 48 competing nations for this summer’s tournament were born in the country, with the Netherlands a distant second on 67.

The Senegal squad has 10 French-born players, including Paris Saint-Germain’s exciting young forward Ibrahim Mbaye, who made the switch from the France youth ranks last year. Algeria (13), Haiti (12) and DR Congo (11) have even greater French influence, while Toulouse-born Issa Diop, another former France youth international, scored the stoppage-time equaliser for Morocco before they overcame the Netherlands on penalties in the round of 32.

The legendary former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said in 2015 that he considered Brazil’s Sao Paulo to be the world’s top breeding ground for football talent. But Paris has now assumed that mantle, with 56 players born in the city representing countries at FIFA’s ongoing showcase in North America.

The wider Ile-de-France region is home to 12.5 million people and is at the centre of it all. This densely-inhabited area accounts for only two per cent of metropolitan France’s territory but is home to 19 per cent of its population, and also to large immigrant communities, particularly from the country’s former colonies across the planet.

“It’s quite an incredible pool of talent in a relatively small area,” says the French Football Federation’s technical director, Hubert Fournier. “There’s a high concentration of players with very well-structured clubs. And then everyone draws from this Ile-de-France pool because afterwards they go to other clubs; they don’t all stay in Ile-de-France.”

Fournier points to a “training system that’s been built up over decades” and investment in early grassroots levels as key reasons for France’s success. He also notes the structure of amateur clubs has “improved over many years” and that professional sides have followed suit.

“Until recently, there was just one (professional) training centre, that of Paris Saint-Germain,” he tells The Athletic. “Now there are several — there’s Red Star, there’s Paris FC, and they have organised training programmes.

“You face good players every weekend. This clash of talents raises the overall level of play in the Ile-de-France region, and it allows players to develop and improve.”

Competition between clubs and areas is fierce, raising standards and levels across the board. But Fournier, a former head coach of leading French side Lyon, also points to the “sociological” aspect of immigration.

“They’ve been exposed to different styles of football, which brings a certain creativity and produces players who are a bit different, like Riyad Mahrez (Algeria’s captain at this World Cup), (and French squad members) Rayan Cherki and Ousmane Dembele,” he says.

“The fact we’ve had this immigration for several generations means that not all young talents can play for the French national team, but because of their parents’ and grandparents’ origins, they also have the capacity to play for national teams.

“That’s why we have this number of players.”

AAS Sarcelles is meant to be closed.

Due to the late-June heatwave, the local municipality has shut all the club’s facilities other than the swimming pool.

Yet on the day of The Athletic’s visit, local kids have scrambled over the fences to play on the Stade Riyad Mahrez, the pitch bearing the name of the team’s most famous son.

Boasting 1,500 players from under-sixes up to veterans, making them France’s fourth-biggest amateur club, Sarcelles have a storied reputation when it comes to producing talent. As well as Mahrez, former France, PSG and Barcelona defender Philippe Christanval, ex-DR Congo full-back Herita Ilunga and current Cameroon international Junior Ebimbe also came through their ranks.

Scouts from across France and Europe are regulars at games here. Midfielder Aliou Traore left Sarcelles for Manchester United’s academy in 2017 and now plays for Vanspor in Turkey, while the club are also into the fifth year of a partnership with German top-flight side Hoffenheim, which enables the regular exchange of players and coaching staff.

The area on the northern outskirts of Paris is home to large immigrant communities from many of France’s former colonies, such as Algeria, Senegal, Mali and Morocco. At the end of June, Sarcelles hosted their own version of the Africa Cup of Nations, in which each community, including those from other continents, participated.

“It’s truly multicultural,” says club official Nabil Chabane. “That’s what makes the difference. It’s this diversity. It’s rich.

“We broadcast the match between France and Senegal. There were almost 1,000 people in the stands and we had to stop there for safety reasons.

“When France scored, everyone shouted. When Senegal scored, everyone shouted again. It shows that these two cultures are not separate. A real cohesion has been found. But we don’t realise it in France because then there’s politics.”

Sarcelles are heavily reliant on state funding and money from Hoffenheim. There is no scope for further expansion as it stands, with the lack of a sprinkler system seeing grass pitches become dust-bowls in the intense summer heat.

AAS Sarcelles are one of the most famous amateur clubs in France (Patrick Boyland/The Athletic)

But their development system under technical director Mohamed Coulibaly remains the envy of many. One of Coulibaly’s acts upon joining in 2012 was to hire many of the best coaches from the area. As at other French clubs, players start with five-a-side and eight-a-side games before progressing to 11-a-side at under-13 level. Staff, meanwhile, boast about “doing things with the heart”.

Football is a way of life in Paris’ ‘banlieues’ (neighbourhoods); both a pastime and a potential “social lever”, to quote Chabane.

“We always find a way to play, even if there’s a small square, a little patch of ground,” Sarcelles youth coach Ibrahim Coulibaly says. “You can play with cans, juice cartons, balloons. Even when you don’t have a ball, you find a way to play.”

Mahrez was no different.

“Riyad would play a Ligue 2 match (for Le Havre) on Friday, and then come back to Sarcelles on the weekend,” Chabane recalls. “Sometimes, even on the night of the match, he tried to come and play, but people tell him, ‘No, you just played, you should rest’. I’m not joking. He truly had that love for football.

“Even when the pitches are closed, people still come to play. Sometimes that’s what creates that difference in these areas. It’s about mindset.”

Particularly for those from Paris’ poorer banlieues, there’s a sense that football can offer a route out of difficult circumstances.

“Cities like Paris are places where football is a powerful social elevator,” says Fournier. “It’s a tool that supports both families and, very quickly, young talents. They feel that through football, they can also improve their social standing.”

Most of the best French talent ends up at Clairefontaine.

Fournier says the national federation has ‘technical advisors’ stationed in each Ile-de-France district who “conduct the initial scouting searches”. The best prospects at under-12 and under-13 levels are then called to Clairefontaine to play regional tournaments, in effect serving as final trials, before being selected for the main academy.

Youngsters stay at Clairefontaine for two years, moving to daily coaching sessions, and the idea is to prepare them for life at professional clubs. Kylian Mbappe and Thierry Henry both came through that system, as did Morocco’s rising-star teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.

“What we do is very technical,” Fournier explains. “That’s the main focus. Then, preparing them athletically for the demands they’ll face in an academy.

“Our guiding principle is to equip them with a toolkit that is adaptable to a Spanish, English or German playing style. During their training, players should have a diverse experience that isn’t limited to just the first team’s playing style. I think this is also one of the reasons why our young talents adapt so easily when they leave the academy.”

Most of the best talent remains in the French system and goes on to represent France, but not all. Fournier describes Bouaddi’s recent decision to represent Morocco as a “significant loss” for the French federation. PSG’s Mbaye and Senegal’s Mamadou Sarr (now at Chelsea after coming through Lyon’s academy) are also deemed to have slipped through the net.

“Bouaddi is a talent we’ve followed for many years,” he says. “And we know that in his age group, there’s no other Bouaddi. It’s a significant loss for our federation. But it’s his choice.

“He went through all our selection processes. He had been with the under-21s for a year and a half. He understood that he was on the extended list. But we couldn’t offer him the opportunity to go to the World Cup right now.

“There’s fierce competition within the French national team. As the World Cup approached, it’s true that Didier (Deschamps, France’s head coach) made the decision not to include Boauddi and he preferred to go to the World Cup with Morocco. The coach felt he wasn’t quite ready yet, while Morocco offered him that opportunity. I can understand his point of view.”

Morocco made a sustained push for Bouaddi, visiting the Lille 18-year-old and his family several times. They could also offer him an early route to senior international honours, as part of an upwardly mobile side. Other players who have switched allegiance from France could tell similar stories.

“I would say that our national team is very attractive,” Fournier says. “However, we are faced with players who have difficult choices. What has changed is that, if I take the Moroccan Federation as an example, it has become very well structured; they have a training centre (the Mohammed VI Football Complex near Rabat) as good as Clairefontaine.

Ayyoub Bouaddi has become a key creative influence for Morocco after switching allegiance from France shortly before the World Cup (Julio Cesar Aguilar/AFP via Getty Images)

“And above all, they and countries like Senegal have national teams that offer exposure on the international stage, allowing players to shine, because it’s a team that has reached the semi-finals of the World Cup (Morocco in 2022). Before, there was no comparison between the exposure on the international stage you could get.”

Players such as  Bouaddi, who have until their first senior call-up to decide which country they represent, are often making pragmatic career choices. But there are emotional ties too. Fournier points to a “sense of pride in representing the country of one’s father or grandfather” as another significant factor in the decision-making process.

When Bouaddi was selected for Morocco’s World Cup squad, he posted a picture on Instagram of himself at one of their games during the 2018 World Cup.

While there is disappointment within the French setup about his decision, there is no bitterness at how things have turned out.

“Now, we wish him all the best,” he says. “In any case, he remains a player trained in France and we’ll be very proud of him.”

The same goes, no doubt, for the other 98 French-born players named in squads for this summer’s tournament.

After all, there is more than enough talent to be shared around.

On Wednesday evening, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers turned the NBA world on its collective ear, swapping star forward Jaylen Brown and Paul George, along with multiple first-round picks.

Never mind the Celtics and Sixers are longtime and bitter rivals. And never mind that Boston seemingly wanted out of the Brown business so desperately that they were willing to take George’s contract, when he isn’t the star he used to be.

The NBA effectively told us Brown isn’t as valuable a player as his gaudy numbers, All-NBA selection and sixth place in league MVP voting suggest. And it’s confusing as to what we should take away from that.

The ramifications of this trade will be far-reaching and multi-layered. But Tony Jones and Jay King, beat writers for the Sixers and Celtics respectively, try to make sense of it all.

How should we feel about the trade that shook the league? How will this change the 76ers?

Jay King: For them, landing a much younger star was a big deal. Brown, 29, should have plenty of good basketball left in front of him, while the same can’t necessarily be said for the 36-year-old George. Alongside Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, Brown will give the 76ers one of the NBA’s most athletic and dynamic perimeter trios. Then, oh yeah, defenses can’t focus too much on those guys because of how much attention Joel Embiid commands.

While player availability is impossible to forecast, the 76ers should also feel more confident in the chances of Brown being on the court. Though he has dealt with some injuries in the past, he has played at least 60 games in each of the past five straight seasons, including two seasons where he played 70 or more games. George has only reached the 60-game mark once in the last seven seasons. Considering how much time Embiid tends to miss, having an identity without him is essential. The 76ers should play at a hyper pace whenever he’s out, with plenty of ways to beat opponents off the bounce. Their roster just makes more sense to me now.

Tony Jones: It changes their regular-season ceiling, which helps their playoff ceiling. The 76ers won 45 games last year, but had to do patchwork around Embiid and George the entire way. Jaylen Brown’s superpower lies in his durability. He has failed to play as many as 60 games just once in the past five seasons. If he and Tyrese Maxey are mostly available, it allows Philadelphia to throw multiple All-NBA players on the floor for most nights, regardless of how available Embiid is.

As much as the Sixers benefit from Brown’s ability to score and create offense, they truly benefit from creating a cushion for Embiid to coast during the regular season and to try to get his body ready for the playoffs. There will be challenges for sure in feeling out how the core will play together. But Brown being a regular-season innings eater should be a significant change from what the Sixers are typically used to.

How will this change the Celtics?

King: They have been building around Brown and Tatum for so long that it will be strange to see them with a new core. Though it’s fair to wonder how much they’ll fall off with George instead of Brown, they likely won’t change as much stylistically as Philadelphia. The biggest evolution, I think, will be shifting from Brown’s high-usage attack to the more complementary style George plays late in his 30s. That should open more opportunities for other players on the roster, including Payton Pritchard.

I expect him to be the biggest beneficiary of the extra touches. As much as he produced last season, I still think he has another level to reach. He’s one of the NBA’s most dangerous isolation scorers and could end up with the ball in his hands a little more.

George’s lack of availability could be an issue, but the Celtics won 56 games last season without Tatum for most of the campaign. At least in the regular season, they have enough wing depth to survive expected absences from George. They have also addressed some of their frontcourt issues by reaching an agreement to sign Mitchell Robinson. I expect them to remain a very capable team. Though, at least in the short term, this trade doesn’t move them any closer to a championship.

Jones: Most were shoveling dirt on them yesterday when the trade broke. I don’t hold that opinion. I think the Celtics are going to be just fine, particularly in the regular season. The biggest misconception about the trade has been thinking George is washed as a player. Nothing could be further from the truth. Brown is a better player, at this stage of their respective careers, for sure. But George was terrific in Philadelphia last season. And his fit with what the Celtics love to do, which is shoot 3-pointers, is an immaculate one.

With Tatum and George and the rest of Boston’s depth, the Celtics will find themselves in the mix in the Eastern Conference, just like they were this season, when they finished second. Did the Celtics make the Sixers better on Wednesday? Yes. There’s no doubt. But that doesn’t mean Boston is poised to take a step back.

How will this impact the Eastern Conference hierarchy?

King: The trade gives the 76ers a chance to become a more serious threat. They will need to figure out chemistry with a new-look roster, but Brown’s combination of high-octane production and availability at least makes a long playoff run feasible for them in a way I never considered possible when George and Embiid were paired together. Maxey has also become one of the NBA’s best guards, and Edgecombe is still ascending.

The Knicks trampled the rest of the Eastern Conference this season, but took a significant hit Wednesday when they lost Robinson to Boston. With other teams, including the Toronto Raptors, loading up, the East is open again. But maybe I’m just underestimating New York, which looked invincible during the playoffs. (OK, fine, they looked more human against San Antonio, but still made all the biggest plays.) LeBron James could still swing the East, but right now a lot of teams have a chance. I would probably include Boston in that group, though the Celtics have a lot to prove after trading Brown following two straight early playoff exits.

Jones: For me, it muddles the top. The biggest loser in the Brown trade and the trade that brought Kawhi Leonard back to the Toronto Raptors are the Detroit Pistons. This year, they were young and fresh and seemed destined to compete at the top of the conference for the foreseeable future. Now, at the very least, they will have plenty of company at the top. And at worst, they might have lost some real ground.

I’m not sure what the Sixers floor is. I suspect there will be some volatility. But Philadelphia might have gained a title ceiling with this trade. For the first time in a while, there might be a case to be made that the Eastern Conference is better than the Western Conference on the whole. With the New York Knicks coming off a title, the Sixers, Raptors, Pistons, and Miami Heat lurking, and the Indiana Pacers reloading, the East can safely say it’s back. And this is before LeBron James makes his decision on where he will play next season. This upcoming season will be fun.

What did the price say about Brown’s trade value?

King: It wasn’t high. At all. The Celtics believe the picks they received are extremely valuable, but it was still stunning to see them trade Brown for a player seven years older and one with George’s injury history. The NBA’s collective attitude toward Brown shows the current mindset about long-term maximum contracts. Right or wrong, teams seem to believe it’s just hard to find enough roster flexibility when paying someone nearly $60 million per season who’s not necessarily one of the five or 10 best players in the league. Though Brown finished sixth in MVP voting, teams didn’t view him as that type of talent.

Even the Celtics. What’s even more shocking, from their side, is that George has a similar contract, though he has one fewer year left. The return suggests Boston was ready to move on from Brown. I understand the idea of shaking up the core after two straight early playoff exits, but I would have looked to execute another path to do it. And if nothing better was available, I would have tried to make it work with Brown, even if it would have been challenging to repair the relationship there.

Jones: It’s still a bit mystifying for me. And, it’s wild to me that analytics can be used to indicate a player who averaged 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists a night, while leading a team without one of its star players to a 56-win season, wasn’t a net positive. I think analytics has its place in basketball. But if we are using it to say Jaylen Brown’s season wasn’t overly impressive, then basketball analysis has jumped the shark.

His lack of trade value goes further than his performance on the court. His contract, and the fact he has an impending extension on the horizon, clearly scared teams off. The fact his reputation around the league points to him being outspoken cooled his value. And the fact it became apparent the Celtics were intent on trading him, no matter what, muted his value.

Brown will have a chance with the Sixers to accomplish some real things. The Sixers haven’t been past the second round of the playoffs in a quarter of a century. They haven’t been past the second round in Joel Embiid’s career. Brown has critics. He now also can silence his critics. That makes this trade all the more intriguing.

How stunning was the trade?

King: Obviously, after all the speculation, it didn’t floor me to see the Celtics move on from Brown. But if they were going to trade him, I thought they would get more than they did. As much as they value the picks they received, they got older and creakier while sacrificing a second-team All-NBA player. For all the noise surrounding Brown recently, he was also a respected locker room leader. The Celtics went through all sorts of ups and downs with him and could always trust that at the end of the day he would be ready to compete and work on his game. So, yeah, it was a stunning end to the Brown era. What an era it was,  though, filled with plenty of winning, plenty of heartbreak and one championship trophy.

Jones: I’m still stunned. I’m stunned the Sixers were able to go and trade for Jaylen Brown, while getting off Paul George’s contract. I’m stunned the Celtics thought so little of Brown, they were comfortable trading him to a division rival. I’m stunned Brown had so little value around the league. I’m stunned the Sixers were able to pull off a move this seismic, when it appeared there would be very little room for them to move around the roster during the offseason.

But, this is what the league had in mind with the new collective bargaining agreement. The parity of the league, the restriction of the financial aprons, have made player movement so intriguing, because so much of the league thinks it’s one move away from competing for a title. And, as the Knicks proved this year, they are correct. The Knicks were thought to be dead in the water as a core, last year, when they sputtered in the Eastern Conference finals. They hung tight, made incremental upgrades, made a few moves at the deadline on the margins and won a title.

Now, it’s Philadelphia’s chance to try and make a major upgrade and do the same thing. And they will do it with a star player that seemingly nobody else in the NBA wanted.