The Christophe Galtier era officially gets underway on Sunday, July 31, when Paris Saint-Germain face Nantes in the 2022 Trophee des Champions in Tel Aviv, Israel. While PSG head into this fixture as the Ligue 1 title-holders, Nantes arrive as the reigning French Cup winners.
Though the Parisians have already spent weeks of preseason —including four friendlies —working under Galtier, this will be their first official game since Mauricio Pochettino was fired. On the other hand, Antoine Kombouare has been at the helm of Nantes since February 2021.
Having made a preseason tour in Japan, PSG will continue to play abroad before they return to France for their league opener away in Clermont. But why is the French Super Cup held in Israel? Let’s take a look.
Why is the 2022 French Super Cup held in Israel?
Over the last few years, it has become increasingly popular for many of the European big five leagues to take their Super Cup game to foreign soil. As a matter of fact, the French Super Cup has been played overseas from 2009 to 2019— the 2020 edition was played in France due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Just like in 2021,the Trophee des Champions will return to Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, Israel for marketing reasons. According to LFP director general Mathieu Ficot (via BeSoccer) taking the French Super Cup to Israel “reinforces our desire to promote French football in a region that is key for its development.”
Last year, PSG’s run of eight consecutive triumphs was ended by Lille, who beat Pochettino’s side 1-0. Though the title may not mean much to PSG, it would be important for Galtier to get off to a winning start.
