PSG/Rennes – The heatwave battle begins for the restart

In partnership with

Parisfans.fr

·20 August 2026

PSG/Rennes – The heatwave battle begins for the restart

Because the pitch at the Parc des Princes was unplayable, the Matchday 1 Ligue 1 2026-2027 game between Paris Saint-Germain and Rennes had to be moved just a few days before kickoff. It will ultimately be played at Roazhon Park, Rennes’ home stadium. Now the question is being raised over the return fixture, scheduled for the weekend of March 6 on Matchday 23. The Breton club would like that one to be at home as well, while PSG would this time prefer to host at the Parc des Princes through a simple reversal of the fixtures. L’Equipe reviewed the issue, with the heatwave at the heart of the discussion.

“Paris would not have opposed postponing this first matchday.”

After noting that a backup stadium was impossible, since the pitches at Jean-Bouin and Charléty were not ready, and the Stade de France was set up for a concert, PSG turned to the LFP, which asked Stade Rennais whether it would accept reversing the fixture. At PSG, they stress that Rennes had a choice, that they could have said no, and that Paris would not have opposed postponing this first matchday.

“The Parisian club believes the heatwave is an exceptional circumstance”

By sharing with the Breton club the responsibility for the decision to reverse the fixture, PSG is also laying the groundwork regarding the venue for the return match. LFP regulations state that the return fixture must take place at the ground originally scheduled, except in “exceptional circumstances.” The Parisian club believes that the heatwave is an exceptional circumstance, and that, in the interest of fairness toward the other Ligue 1 clubs, there is no reason why Rennes should play one extra home match.

“the heatwave, a constant feature of summer and regularly forecast by weather specialists”

Very clearly, two views of the matter are going to clash: for its part, the Breton club will point out that a storm or flooding can be considered an exceptional circumstance, but that a heatwave, a constant feature of summer and regularly forecast by weather specialists, instead highlights a lack of vigilance on the part of the Parisian club.

When the stadium switch for this Sunday was announced, the focus was initially on the fair play and solidarity within French football in finding a quick solution to an exceptional problem. That is a little regrettable today with this new battle now underway. Apparently, more tension within French football will once again be needed to resolve the issue.

OneFootball Videos

Rennes is therefore trying to have both matches against PSG at home, with one more “home” game this season than every other club. The sporting and financial interest is obvious. Some point out that the stadium might not be full this Sunday, but that seems doubtful. Paris will now try to make sure this PSG/Rennes fixture happens during the season.

The dispute over whether the heatwave should count as a valid consideration seems almost ridiculous. Will we now see the same thing for heavy rain or frozen pitches, which can also be seen as recurring events? It is hard to imagine French football ever growing as long as these kinds of battles continue to divide it.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.