Following the completion of the Coupe de France Round of 64 matches, French Ligue 1 clubs have initiated their brief winter holiday period. Teams have planned staggered return dates for training sessions throughout late December, with most players receiving a rest period ranging from just under a week to approximately ten days.
Key Return Dates
The timing of the return varies significantly across the league, based on the schedule of their upcoming fixtures in early January:
- Saturday, December 27: Angers will be the first club to recommence training sessions, leading the pack in preparation for the league restart.
- Sunday, December 28: Three major clubs are scheduled to return on this day: Toulouse, Marseille, and league leaders Lens. Lens, who concluded the year with a 3-1 victory in the cup, will have a short turnaround before opening the 17th round of fixtures against Toulouse on January 2.
- Monday, December 29: The majority of Ligue 1 squads are set to resume activities. This group includes Brest, Le Havre, Lorient, Lyon, Metz, Monaco, Nantes, Nice, Paris FC, Rennes, and Strasbourg.
- Tuesday, December 30: The final group of teams report back to their training grounds. This includes Auxerre, Lille, and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). High-profile players such as Désiré Doué and Nuno Mendes are expected to be among those reporting to PSG training on the final day of the month.
