The Ligue 1 season was abandoned in April, so many supporters will have to wait until the 2020-21 campaign begins to see live football again.
But the end of France's health state of emergency from July 11 will see restrictions eased, with stadiums and horse-racing tracks to be reopened to the public, initially at a reduced capacity.
The news came in a statement from the government that specified: "As with performance halls, activities involving more than 1,500 people must be declared, so that the necessary precautions can be guaranteed.
"The maximum capacity of 5,000 people for major events, stadiums and performance halls is in principle in force until September 1. A new review of the national epidemiological situation will be carried out in mid-July to decide whether a relaxation is possible for the second part of August."
The French Football Federation (FFF) is hoping the 5,000 figure may be relaxed sooner than September, with reports this week saying the Coupe de France final, postponed from April, is pencilled in for July 24.
Paris Saint-Germain are due to face Saint-Etienne at the Stade de France, which can seat over 80,000 spectators.
FFF president Noel Le Graet called the government ruling "an important step in the organisation of upcoming games".
"These new provisions allow us to envisage opening even more widely for spectators regarding the men's Coupe de France final at the end of July, the Coupe de la Ligue final, the semi-finals and final of the women's Coupe de France at the start of August, as well as the return of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 at the end of August," he said in a statement on the FFF website.
"The FFF executive committee will meet on Monday June 22 to consider the new measures and the upcoming calendar."
PSG ultimately won the tie 3-1 at Stade Gaston Petit thanks to late goals from Carlos Soler and Juan Bernat, but their third-tier opponents had given them a tough battle until then.
With no Lionel Messi, Neymar or Kylian Mbappe, PSG relied on 20-year-old Hugo Ekitike to fire them in front early on, before Natanael Ntolla equalised prior to half-time via a deflection off El Chadaille Bitshiabu.
Late pressure finally bore fruit for Galtier's side, though, as Soler and Bernat both struck, and the PSG head coach was just happy to be through to the last 32.
"There is the satisfaction in being qualified," he said. "Games like this are difficult. The start was in line with what I expected, with the opener. Afterwards, my team was cut in two and that gave Chateauroux a lot of hope.
"Did we think things were going to be easy? Maybe."
The former Lille and Nice boss made seven changes to the team that started the 3-1 loss at Lens last time out, including teenage trio Ismael Gharbi, Bitshiabu and 16-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery.
Although it took the introduction of Sergio Ramos and Fabian Ruiz in place of Bitshiabu and Gharbi just after the hour for the visitors to take charge, Galtier was pleased with the performances of the youngsters, having anticipated a tough night with several first-team players missing following the World Cup.
"I was satisfied with the young players," he said. "They were serious and on pace. I really liked Ismael in the game. Warren was of a good level. El Chadaille was unhappy [about the goal against].
"I expected a complex game with the absence of many players and the different states of form. We will see which ones we will recover for Angers [on Wednesday].
"Teams that have had a lot of players at the World Cup are struggling to restart at the start of the year. We will quickly have to refocus on the objectives."
Mbappe seized upon some static defending to open the scoring just after the quarter-hour mark but PSG did not have it all their own way against a side who sit 12th out of 18 teams in the third tier.
It was not until after the hour PSG doubled their lead from the spot through Mbappe but despite taking his tally to 10 goals in his last six matches, the France captain continued to make his mark.
He turned provider for Goncalo Ramos and while Nicolas Saint-Ruf pulled one back, Mbappe then teed up 17-year-old substitute Senny Mayulu for his first goal for PSG two minutes from time.
PSG boss Luis Enrique admitted his hesitancy at the state of the pitch as he rang the changes to his line-up although he retained Mbappe, who bagged a treble in a 9-0 win at Revel in the last round.
It was unsurprisingly the 25-year-old who broke the deadlock in the 16th minute, reacting quickly to drive beyond Owen-Cesaire Matimbou from Randal Kolo Muani’s centre after some flat-footed defending.
If PSG thought the floodgates would open, they were left disappointed as Orleans’ backline repelled everything that was thrown at them for the rest of the half.
While Orleans became more of an attacking force after half-time, Steve Solvet’s handball in the area allowed Mbappe to double PSG’s lead from the penalty spot after 63 minutes.
Mbappe’s teasing cross to the back post was met by the diving head of Ramos to take PSG out of sight.
To their credit, Saint-Ruf pulled one back from a corner in the 86th minute to give Orleans something to show for their evening’s work.
But having been introduced minutes earlier, Mayulu restored PSG’s three-goal lead after being put through by Mbappe.
Fourth-placed Marseille and Nice, who occupy eighth spot, were due to return to action at Stade Velodrome this weekend following the international break.
The fixture will instead be staged later in the season due to a COVID-19 outbreak at the club from the Cote d'Azur.
A statement released by Ligue 1 on Tuesday said: "Following the advice of the National COVID FFF Commission, which noted the unavailability of more than ten players on OGC Nice's 30-man squad list - due to positive RT-PCR tests - for the Round 11 Ligue 1 match against Olympique de Marseille, the LFP's Competitions Commission, acting under article 2. 4.2.2 of the protocol for the organisation of matches for the 2020-21 season, has decided to postpone the match, initially scheduled for Saturday 21 November 2020 at 21:00, to a date yet to be determined."
Meanwhile, the French Football Federation (FFF) has postponed the eighth round and last-32 Coupe de France matches due to be staged next month and in January due to the pandemic.
The decision came following the suspension of amateur competitions on October 29 and the FFF is working with regional leagues to come up with alternative dates for the ties to be played.
The France international scored twice on his return from injury in PSG's Coupe de France semi-final with Montpellier on Wednesday, which Mauricio Pochettino's men won on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
PSG, who won the Trophee des Champions earlier this season, may well be banking on cup glory to ensure their season is something of a success given the state of the title race.
Lille are three points ahead at the top of the table with only two games remaining, meaning just four points from matches against Saint-Etienne and Angers will secure a memorable title triumph.
However, speaking after the Montpellier match, Mbappe indicated Lille's own impressive form would not have been enough had PSG shown more consistency.
"If we lose the title, it will be us who have lost it, not they who will have won it," he said to Eurosport 2.
Mbappe then posted to his official Instagram account to explain that Lille would be worthy champions, even if PSG would only have themselves to blame for their own results.
He wrote: "#Respect. Lille would be great champions if they're crowned but with eight defeats, if we lose the title, we are the only ones responsible."
PSG face Reims on Sunday knowing they must match Lille's result if they are to keep up their title defence until the final matchday.
PSG eased into the last 16 of the competition with an emphatic 7-0 victory at Lens' Stade Bollaert-Delelis, with Mbappe involved in all but one of their goals.
The sixth-tier opposition – who were technically the home team – did not look overawed and played some attractive football during the early stages, but the floodgates opened once Mbappe put PSG ahead with 29 minutes played.
It was 4-0 by half-time, with Mbappe netting three and setting up Neymar – the France forward added another two after the break to become the first player in PSG history to score five times in one match.
Carlos Soler – the scorer of PSG's other goal – also impressed, but it was Mbappe and Neymar whom Galtier focused on.
"Kylian Mbappe's a goalscorer, he's obsessed with goals and attacking," the coach told beIN SPORTS.
"I'm not going to say he's going to gain confidence [from scoring five goals], but he's up to his standard.
"It was important for him and Neymar to play the full game. They combined a lot and looked for each other a lot. It was good for them."
Such a contest represented the risk of a major shock for PSG, but there was never any real danger of a defeat as the Parisians produced a thoroughly professional display.
Mbappe believes that reflected the respect they have for lower-league opposition.
"We're happy, we came to qualify and respect this team," he said.
"Respect means playing at our level. We're happy. It was a great opportunity for [Pays de Cassel], and for us because we also come from amateur football.
"We are very happy to come and play, and it is an important competition for Paris Saint-Germain."
On the other side of things, Pays de Cassel coach Samuel Goethals spoke of his pride despite the heavy defeat, highlighting how playing in front of such a crowd was by no means a regular occurrence.
"It's still a source of great pride," he added. "The game was complicated, we did things within our means. I'm super proud of the group.
"We knew the balance of power was going to be very unbalanced, and it was unprecedented for each of us to play in front of 35,000 people, but I saw a yellow and black stadium, it was magnificent to experience.
"You have to be real, we are in Regional One, the sixth division, we are amateurs, and this was seen on the field. I would have preferred that we conceded one or two goals less, but [the match's speed] was too fast."
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was given an extended break by his club after scoring seven times and assisting three more in Qatar.
Messi, who announced ahead of the tournament it would be his last World Cup participation, landed a second Golden Ball for his starring role in Argentina's third global triumph.
He has played no part in PSG's two matches since Qatar 2022, missing the win over Strasbourg and defeat to Lens in Ligue 1, but he was back in Paris on Wednesday.
PSG's players and coaching staff formed a tunnel for Messi as he walked out of their training base, before he was handed a small trophy by sporting director Luis Campos.
Neymar was among those to greet Messi upon his arrival, but Kylian Mbappe – a beaten finalist at Messi's expense – was absent after being given a breather by Christophe Galtier.
Messi may now be in contention to play a part in Friday's round-of-64 Coupe de France tie with third-tier side Chateauroux.
Prior to heading off to the World Cup, the 35-year-old scored 12 goals and assisted 14 more in 19 appearances this season.
The forward suffered an ankle injury in Brazil's opening World Cup match, missing the final two group-stage games, though he returned to score in both of the Selecao's knockout ties as they crashed out in the quarter-finals to Croatia.
Neymar returned to PSG and featured in their first Ligue 1 fixture against Strasbourg, but he was given a second yellow card for a dive in the 62nd minute as a late Kylian Mbappe penalty snatched a 2-1 victory.
He was therefore suspended for PSG's 3-1 defeat to Lens on Sunday, their first loss of the season, and he was a notable absentee from training on Thursday.
Galtier insisted Neymar not training was planned and he also confirmed the 30-year-old will play no part against Chateauroux in the Coupe de France on Friday.
"As for Neymar's absence in training that had been scheduled, as it was for all of the players who went to the World Cup," PSG boss Galtier told reporters.
"They were assessed by our medical staff and performance team.
"We decided as a group that Neymar, with everything he has experienced with his ankle problem, that he needed time for his ankle to recover."
Asked whether Neymar was expected to miss the following game too, a Ligue 1 home meeting with Angers on Wednesday, Galtier replied: "Just tomorrow."
Neymar was visibly upset after Brazil's penalty defeat to Croatia, with his hopes of winning a World Cup now looking slim with the next tournament occurring when he will be 34.
However, Galtier is not concerned about the former Barcelona man, saying: "I'm not at all worried about Neymar.
"Based on what he has been doing since the start of the season, he is full of desire to play and he wanted to play in the league game but was suspended. He was very disappointed.
"We are lucky to have a very committed Neymar here, but we need to keep an eye on him physically."
After Brazil's shock exit in Qatar, Argentina and France went on to play what many are calling the best World Cup final ever, with PSG's Mbappe and Lionel Messi playing starring roles as La Albiceleste ultimately won on penalties following a 3-3 draw after extra time.
Galtier hopes Messi receives a warm reception in Paris on his return having beaten France in the final, while saying Mbappe has not changed after winning the tournament's Golden Boot and scoring a hat-trick in the final.
"He [Messi] will not play tomorrow," Galtier explained. "Having discussed it with him, we want him to be ready for the following game.
"I hope he will be celebrated by our supporters. Leo Messi is a Paris national player and World Cup winner. We are lucky to have a player like Messi here.
"We also need to appreciate we have [Mbappe] at the club. Just like Messi, he had a brilliant World Cup.
"Kylian Mbappe quickly wanted to get back into competitive football after the World Cup. I feel he is a very intelligent guy who learns quickly, and he knows the general consensus around him has changed.
"He is a player with huge personality and character who is capable of managing that. We have Kylian Mbappe here on a daily basis and he is the same as before."
Marcin Bulka was the hero as he denied Leandro Paredes and Xavi Simons in the shoot-out to send the visitors through to the quarter-finals.
The PSG loanee ended the holders' 14-match winning run in the competition, while halting their quest for a third straight triumph.
Mauricio Pochettino's side also failed to score in a Coupe de France tie for the first time since losing 1-0 to Lille in the 2011 final.
Unbeaten in their eight previous meetings with Nice in all competitions, PSG welcomed Lionel Messi back into the starting line-up for the first time in a month.
The Argentina skipper was involved in the hosts' best chance of the first half as he combined with Ander Herrera to tee up Marco Verratti, who swept a shot just wide of the far post.
At the other end, Amine Gouiri tried his luck with an ambitious effort from distance, but it flew straight into the arms of Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The Italy international was also called into action just after the restart, producing smart reflexes to deny Justin Kluivert from a tight angle.
Having watched his side register just a single shot on target, Pochettino introduced Kylian Mbappe in the 63rd minute for his 200th PSG appearance.
But it was the visitors who went close to snatching a dramatic winner, Danilo Pereira blocking Kluivert with five minutes remaining, while Jean-Clair Todibo got in the way of Messi's goalbound effort at the other end.
The first five kicks of the subsequent shoot-out were successful before Bulka kept out Paredes' tame effort, although Donnarumma immediately denied Andy Delort in return.
Dante's timely Panenka put Nice in control as it went into sudden death, before Simons' attempt was beaten away by Bulka.
What does it mean? More shoot-out woes for PSG
PSG's last Coupe de France disappointment also came after a penalty shoot-out, when they were beaten by Rennes in the 2019 final.
This reverse was also their first in 12 matches across all competitions since going down 2-1 against Manchester City in November.
Nice, who last won this title in 1997, will face Marseille in the last eight.
Bulka heroics
The PSG loanee came back to haunt his parent club as he produced brilliant saves to deny Paredes and Simons from 12 yards.
The goalkeeper only had two saves to make against the lacklustre hosts in 90 minutes. Nevertheless, he provided a calming presence between the sticks throughout the contest before stepping up when it mattered most.
Another quiet day for Icardi
Once again, Icardi failed to inspire PSG and was substituted just after the hour mark.
The former Inter forward did not register a single shot on goal, while his tally of six touches was the lowest for any PSG player to play at least 45 minutes of a match since Opta began collecting data across all competitions in 2014-15.
What's next?
PSG return to Ligue 1 action when they travel to Lille on Sunday, the same day that Nice welcome Clermont in the top flight.
Striker Icardi recently returned form a spell on the sidelines with a thigh injury and showed what a useful asset he can be to Mauricio Pochettino with Ligue 1 and the Champions League up for grabs, converting a pair of sharp finishes.
Neymar, back in action after a completing a domestic suspension, also got in on the act midway through the second period, having prompted a 23rd-minute own goal from Vincent Manceau.
Icardi then claimed the matchball with the final act of the game, lashing home a looping ball with an unstoppable volley.
Kylian Mbappe rested up on the bench but PSG's other attacking options showed themselves to be in fine order, as Icardi slotted home to crown a slick ninth-minute move on the end of Julian Draxler's cute throughball.
Jimmy Cabot tested Sergio Rico, who was again deputising for the injured Keylor Navas in goal for PSG, before the hosts doubled their advantage in fortuitous fashion.
Full-back Colin Dagba made hay down the Angers left and his cross was clipped towards goal at the near post by Neymar. Ludovic Butelle saved well but the rebound hit Manceau and spun into his own net.
The Angers defender should have atoned for that misfortune two minutes before half-time when he was left unmarked in the PSG box, only to blaze wide on the volley.
Angers continued to probe for a way back into the contest but PSG effectively made sure of their semi-final spot in the 65th minute – Butelle darting out to deny Draxler and the loose ball spinning up for Neymar to head into an unguarded net.
Three minutes later, the visitors were cut apart again, this time down their right flank as Angel Di Maria brilliantly engineered space to cross, with compatriot Icardi the beneficiary.
Rico denied Angers a consolation, pushing over when Farid El Melali fired a centre from fellow substitute Lois Diony towards the roof of the net, before Icardi emphatically had the final word.
The reigning champions resumed their latest title defence with a comfortable 4-0 victory over the fourth-tier outfit at Stade de la Rabine.
Kylian Mbappe scored a second-half hat-trick – including his 150th goal for the club in all competitions – after Presnel Kimpembe broke the deadlock in the 28th minute.
PSG have now scored seven times without reply in their opening two matches of this season's competition.
Mbappe and Kimpembe were among only a handful of senior players to feature for the visitors as Pochettino handed youth an opportunity to impress.
And the head coach underlined the importance of giving his younger players exposure at a senior level.
During his post-match interview on Eurosport, he said: "Respect is always the most important thing, that's what I told the players.
"We were very professional, I am very happy with this performance of the team.
"The goal was to qualify for the next round, it's done.
"We have an incredible academy, it's important that they are on the pitch and that they can participate in this adventure of the first team.
"We have very, very good players, it's important for the club to have this pool.
"We will try to believe in them, to give them the opportunity to play."
Presnel Kimpembe was also on target for the defending champions, who remain unbeaten in 90 minutes in the competition since 2014.
The skipper headed the runaway Ligue 1 leaders in front after 28 minutes at Stade de la Rabine.
Mbappe then took centre stage after the break, striking three times to put the fourth-tier side to the sword.
Unbeaten against lower-league opposition in the Coupe de France since 2010, a much-changed PSG quickly imposed their authority on proceedings, enjoying over three-quarters of the possession.
The visitors, who have won six of the last seven editions of this competition, also registered eight shots inside the opening 25 minutes, with Kimpembe, Xavi Simons, Ander Herrera and Georginio Wijnaldum all drawing saves from Clement Petrel.
But there was no denying Kimpembe, who broke the deadlock with a free header from Nuno Mendes' corner.
Kimpembe turned provider 14 minutes after the restart, Mbappe latching onto his hopeful long ball and racing away before doubling the lead.
The France striker made it 3-0 in emphatic fashion in the 71st minute as he fired a stunning 20-yard effort into the top corner from Simons' pass.
That was the talisman's fourth brace in as many appearances for PSG in all competitions.
But hungry for more, he completed his hat-trick five minutes later, playing a neat one-two with Eric Ebimbe before sliding into the empty net.
