Paris Saint-Germain will begin their Ligue 1 title defence away from home after extreme summer heat left the playing surface at the Parc des Princes unfit for competition.
PSG were scheduled to host Rennes on Sunday, but the fixture has now been reversed, with the match instead taking place in Brittany. The decision followed an inspection by Ligue de Football Professionnel officials, who concluded that the condition of the Paris pitch could not meet the standards required to protect players.
The French champions said the surface had suffered serious damage during an unusually hot summer and will now be replaced before PSG’s next scheduled home league match against Monaco on 4 September.
The club acknowledged that moving the fixture would disrupt plans for supporters but said the circumstances surrounding the damaged pitch were highly unusual.
France has endured repeated periods of extreme heat this summer. On 24 June, the country recorded its highest-ever average daily temperature, while Paris approached 41C and large parts of France were placed under the highest heat-alert level.
Official mortality figures also showed a sharp rise during the hottest period. France recorded 2,025 more deaths between 22 and 28 June compared with expected levels, an increase of almost 30%, while the Paris region saw a rise of 62%.
The heat has affected large parts of western Europe, contributing to wildfires in several areas of France and creating difficult conditions for maintaining sports surfaces.
PSG are not the only European club to encounter pitch problems linked to prolonged summer heat. Celta Vigo had their opening La Liga match against Osasuna postponed earlier in August after a fungal outbreak damaged the surface at Estadio de Balaidos.
The Spanish club’s pitch was affected following more than three weeks in which overnight temperatures remained above 25C, creating conditions that allowed the fungus to spread.
PSG will now travel to Rennes for their first league match of the season while work begins on restoring the Parc des Princes ahead of September.