As France gradually relaxes its Covid restrictions, sports are once again being played in full stadiums.

So if you have a ticket for a match in France, here’s what you need to know about the health protocol around sports venues.

Visiting France for a match?

If you don’t live in France, bear in mind that there are still travel restrictions in place and if you are not fully vaccinated you cannot travel to France from orange countries (including the UK) for non-essential reasons.

The French government does not consider travelling to watch your team play essential.

You can find the full list of travel rules HERE.

There’s no need for a vaccine pass

France ended its vaccine pass requirement on Monday, March 14th, for all venues – including sports grounds.

If you have tickets that you bought in advance of a match they may still state that a vaccine pass is required to enter, but in fact this will not be needed.

Masks

France has lifted a number of mask rules, but they remain in place on public transport.

So if you’re travelling on public transport (including a taxi or VTC like Uber) to and from the match you will need to wear a face mask that covers your nose and mouth.

French mask rules have no medical exemptions and you can be fined €135 for failure to wear a mask correctly.

Once inside the ground, however, you are not required to wear a mask – although they remain advised for people who are elderly or have medical conditions.

If you’re in a bar or restaurant before or after the game, you will not need a mask.

Food and drink

Earlier versions of the Covid rules banned eating and drinking in sports grounds, but once the mask rule was lifted so was this restriction. So you can now get a beer and snacks while you watch, or at half time.

Could this change again?

The vaccine pass is technically suspended, rather than scrapped altogether, so it could be reintroduced if cases spike. This is probably unlikely to happen before the presidential elections at the end of April, however.