Paris Saint-Germain will open their Ligue 1 season at Stade Rennais on Sunday after heatwave damage forced the match away from Paris. The French champions were originally scheduled to host Rennes at the Parc des Princes in their opening fixture.
The match will instead take place at Roazhon Park in Brittany on Sunday, 23 August, with kickoff scheduled for 20:45 local time.
The decision was confirmed by the competitions commission of the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the governing body for French professional football, following a meeting on 19 August. League officials stated that the current condition of the Parc des Princes pitch could not guarantee player safety after consecutive summer heatwaves and drought caused severe degradation.
Commission members initially explored moving the game to an alternative backup stadium in the Paris region, but Paris Saint-Germain were unable to secure a replacement venue. Stade Rennais then provided official guarantees that they could organize and host the opening-day match in Brittany.
Following those assurances, the league commission decided to reverse the home and away fixtures between the two clubs for the season. Under the revised arrangement, Paris Saint-Germain will now host Rennes in Paris during the return match over the weekend of 6 March.
Heatwave damage at Parc des Princes
Paris Saint-Germain acknowledged the condition of their pitch in a statement, citing repeated weather extremes across the capital region this summer. The club stated that the latest heatwave accelerated damage to an already fragile playing surface following successive hot spells.
Ligue 1 is the top tier of professional football in France, featuring 18 clubs competing for the national title. Paris Saint-Germain, who enter the campaign as defending French champions and two-time European champions, have played their home matches at the 48,000-capacity Parc des Princes in Paris since 1974. Stade Rennais are based in Rennes, the capital of Brittany roughly 350 kilometres west of Paris, and have played at Roazhon Park since 1912.
Pitch replacement before Monaco fixture
Ground staff at Paris Saint-Germain have already identified a solution to completely replace the damaged pitch at the Parc des Princes. The club confirmed that installation plans are underway to ensure a suitable surface is ready for upcoming domestic matches.
The new pitch is scheduled to be ready in time for Paris Saint-Germain's next home fixture against AS Monaco on 4 September, which takes place during the third round of the Ligue 1 season.
