PSG Miss Ballon d’Or Ceremony Due to Rescheduled Marseille Match

Paris Saint-Germain will be notably absent from Monday’s 2025 Ballon d’Or awards ceremony in Paris, but the reason is purely logistical rather than a deliberate snub. The club’s highly anticipated Ligue 1 clash against Marseille, originally scheduled for Sunday, was postponed due to severe thunderstorms in the Bouches-du-Rhône region and rescheduled for Monday evening, directly conflicting with the prestigious awards ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet.

Multiple PSG Stars Among Nominees

Several PSG players are in contention for various awards this year, including Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Vitinha, and Fabian Ruiz. Dembélé emerges as a strong Ballon d’Or favorite following his exceptional 2024-25 campaign, where he netted 35 goals and provided 16 assists while earning the Champions League Player of the Tournament award. Despite the team’s absence, some individual players may still attend if their injury status permits.

Weather Forces Scheduling Conflict

The rescheduling dilemma stems from Ligue 1 regulations mandating that weather-postponed matches must be moved to the following day. Georges-François Leclerc, prefect of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, confirmed that PSG officials were “polite but disappointed” by the timing conflict. The club had hoped for an earlier kick-off time that would have allowed players to participate in both events.

While injured players like Dembélé, Doué, and Neves might travel to Paris individually, the majority of the squad and coaching staff will focus on their crucial Le Classique encounter against fierce rivals Marseille.