France tend to do a whistle-stop tour of the country with their women's team.
During the UEFA Nations League they played in Valenciennes, Rennes and Reims. In June, England will take on Herve Renard's swashbuckling side in Saint-Etienne.
But for the Republic of Ireland it's Metz, the picturesque old garrison town that's pierced by the Moselle River.
Ireland left a rainy, grey Dublin on Wednesday afternoon and flew into a rainy, grey Luxembourg, which is about an hour from Metz.
There's a small army of travelling supporters who've made the journey, and if the weather didn't make them feel at home, a trip to the Le Comptoir Irlandais shop sure will. There are a few dozen of these stores dotted around France, selling Flahavan's Porridge, Barry's Tea and Folláin jam from Cork.
Metz's Le Comptoir Irlandais is tucked into one of the narrow side streets that weave through this lovely city, with its coffee-coloured gothic architecture and open squares.
It's forecast to stay rather gloomy when Ireland train at the Stade Saint-Symphorien stadium - home stadium of FC Metz - on Thursday evening, but the clouds are due to break and the temperature certain to rise ahead of kick-off on Friday night (8.10pm Irish time).
This is a daunting assignment for the Girls in Green. A chunk of the France squad is made up of players from Paris Saint-Germain and Lyon, two powerhouses who will collide in the Champions League semi-finals later this month.
From Lyon: the imposing Wendie Renard who marshals the back line with boneshaking authority; Selma Bacha, a silky left-footer who offers width and vision; the hard-running, ruthlessly attack-minded Kadidiatou Diani; marquee striker Eugénie Le Sommer (93 goals for France and counting); and the electrifying Delphine Cascarino, as skillful as she is quick.
From Paris Saint-Germain: Sakina Karchaoui, another high quality left-sided player capable of providing ammunition for the forwards; composed and intelligent midfielder Grace Geyoro; Marie-Antoinette Katoto, getting back to her best after a bad knee injury decimated her 2022/23 campaign; and Thiniba Samoura, an elegant, commanding right-back.
There are others too - Estelle Cascarino (Delphine's twin, no relation to Tony), Sandie Toletti, goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin.
Aston Villa's Kenza Dali plays her club football alongside defender Anna Patten, who could make her Ireland debut tomorrow night having received international clearance last week. Niamh Fahey's injury-enforced withdrawal has increased her chances of featuring in some capacity. It would be quite the baptism of fire.
The Girls in Green are in with the big guns now having earned a place in League A of Euros qualifying thanks to their excellent UEFA Nations League A showing. On Tuesday, they welcome reigning European champions England to Dublin, so these next few days will be a mental and physical challenge, arguably even greater than when they faced Australia and Canada back to back at the World Cup.
One chink of light for the Irish is the imminent departure of France boss Renard. The charismatic coach dropped a bombshell last month when he announced he would leave his post after this summer's Paris Games.
"It had to be done at some point, but that doesn't call anything into question," he said. "It’s a difficult job. If I had to be brief, I have in the back of my mind the 2026 World Cup in men’s football. I hope that it will be my third World Cup at the head of a men’s team. These are my personal motivations."
Perhaps that might contribute to France losing a little focus. Ireland are underdogs here but they do have recent experience of nicking a big result on the road having snatched a precious point in Sweden during qualification for the 2023 World Cup.
Stade Saint-Symphorien - impressively renovated a few years ago - holds just under 30,000 supporters, and has steep stands that can generate plenty of noise.
But France do have a tendency to be highly strung when things aren't going their way. If Eileen Gleeson's charges can get through the first half hour unscathed, it could get interesting.
When the two teams met in Tallaght last July for a pre-World Cup international, Renard's team were 3-0 up by the 61st minute. There's no doubt France are capable of sweeping aside even the very best sides, but Ireland have earned the right to be shown full respect. They will expect, at least, to make their hosts graft for whatever they get, and then hope for a few moments themselves on the counter.
With a place in the play-offs guaranteed even if they finish bottom of this group, Ireland should relish the opportunity to rub shoulders with the elite.
As Denise O'Sullivan put it after the draw was made in March: "We wanted to be here, now we are. Let's have it."
Watch France v Republic of Ireland in Euro 2025 qualifying on Friday from 7.35pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on 2fm's Game On
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