Paris is bracing for another weekend of protests, and football is making way for it. PSG‘s Ligue 1 game against Lyon at the Parc des Princes has been pushed back 24 hours, from a 19:45 GMT kick-off on Sunday to 20:30 on Monday.
The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) announced the change in a statement on Friday, after French police banned the match from going ahead on its original date, according to BBC Sport.
The backdrop is a tense few weeks. Around 550,000 people joined demonstrations last Saturday over rising fuel prices, education standards and the cost of living, which have escalated after weeks of student protests. Unions and student groups backed marches in several major French cities, including Paris, and some were marred by violence, looting and destruction. More demonstrations are planned for Saturday, and authorities are preparing a major security operation.
Paris St-Germain’s Ligue 1 match against Lyon has been pushed back 24 hours to Monday as the French capital prepares for another weekend of protests.
French authorities are preparing a major security operation for demonstrations planned for Saturday. https://t.co/MRYD9KWzeo
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 23, 2026
Sunday adds another headache. The Pittsburgh Steelers play the New Orleans Saints in an NFL game at the Stade de France, which is expected to need a significant police deployment. The stadium is in Saint-Denis, about 10km from Place de la Bastille, where the protests are expected to begin.
The protests have already affected the fixture between Toulouse and Troyes which has now been moved from Saturday to Sunday
PSG duo of Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are among the contenders for the 2026 Ballon d’Or that takes place in London on Monday.
