PARIS, Aug 20 (Reuters) - ⁠French champions Paris St Germain have ⁠been forced to move their Ligue ‌1 opener against Stade Rennais on Sunday after scorching summer heat left their Parc des Princes pitch ​unsafe, the club said.

PSG alerted ⁠France’s professional football league (LFP) ⁠on Monday to the poor condition of ⁠the ‌playing surface. A specialist team inspected the pitch and ruled it ⁠unfit for play, the LFP said.

The match ​will instead ‌be played at Rennes’ Roazhon Park.

The ⁠extreme heat ​prevented the grass, which PSG grows from seed rather than installing as rolled turf, ⁠from developing properly, a person familiar ​with the matter told Reuters. The stadium’s concrete structure intensified the conditions, the person added.

France ⁠has endured exceptionally high temperatures this summer, with wildfires breaking out in several parts of the country. July was France’s ​hottest month on record and ⁠one of its driest, according to the ​national weather agency.

Qatari-backed PSG ‌are overwhelming favourites to retain ​their Ligue 1 title.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft in ParisEditing by Toby Davis)