Why Taylor Swift's Eras Tour could plunge this French soccer team into chaos

Taylor Swift‘s globe-spanning Eras Tour has already produced a successful concert film and will continue deep into 2024. The tour will encompass the end of the domestic soccer season in Europe — and it could negatively affect one of France‘s biggest sides.

Olympique Lyonnais are in the midst of a difficult season and could suffer a shock relegation from Ligue 1 if its form doesn’t pick up. But a potential playoff at L’OL‘s Groupama Stadium would clash with Swift‘s tour touching down in Lyon in June — meaning the team would not be able to play at home for the second leg of a tie to determine its future in the French top flight.

Swift will perform in Lyon on June 2 and June 3 — the shows are sold out and cannot be moved. If OL are indeed stuck playing a relegation playoff on June 2 or June 3, it would have to take place at a different stadium — creating another headache for the club in what has been a disastrous season to this point.

Lyon currently sit at the bottom of the Ligue 1 table…

If they have to go through the relegation play-off at the end of the season they won’t be able to play the home leg in their stadium as Taylor Swift is performing there that evening pic.twitter.com/mKdE2PL81O

? Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 5, 2023

Lyon: An unexpected crisis club

Lyon have long been one of the top soccer teams in France — even though its last league title win came in 2008. Lyon’s status as a regular participant in Europa League or Champions League soccer has made its fall from grace this season even more shocking.

Lyon are already on its third manager this season, a byproduct of winning just one of its opening 13 games. Club legend Alexandre Lacazette is captaining a side that is six points adrift of guaranteed safety in 15th place, and five points from 16th — which would require the relegation playoff tie against the winner of the promotion playoff in Ligue 2.

If Lyon can’t escape its current predicament, it would represent one of soccer’s quickest falls from grace in recent memory. Just three years ago, Lyon played in a Champions League semifinal after eliminating Manchester City at the quarterfinal stage of the competition.

Taylor Swift is booked to play a concert at Lyons Groupama Stadium on the same date the Ligue 1/2 playoff is scheduled.

The situation currently… pic.twitter.com/iKyOzg8Gdu

? Robin Bairner (@RBairner) December 4, 2023

Taylor’s busy 2024

Meanwhile, the grind isn’t stopping anytime soon for Swift, whose Eras Tour will extend into 2024 with U.S. dates in addition to appearances around Asia and Europe.

Swift, who currently has six of the top 10 albums on the Billboard Hot 200, will spend the spring months performing in Japan, Australia, and Singapore before she heads for Europe. The pop superstar has shows scheduled in Paris in addition to June’s Lyon dates, and other venues in which she will perform in 2024 include Madrid‘s Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Liverpool‘s Anfield Stadium, and Wembley Stadium in London.