PSG to play 6th-tier side in French Cup

Lille, France, Jan 14, 2023 (AFP) - Paris Saint-Germain will face sixth-tier Pays de Cassel in the last 32 of the French Cup after the amateur side won their rearranged tie on Saturday.

Pays de Cassel, who play in the regional Hauts-de-France league in the north of the country, overcame fifth-division Wasquehal on penalties after a 1-1 draw to set up a dream meeting with the French champions.

The club had originally received a walkover into the last 32 after Wasquehal and Reims Saint-Anne were disqualified following the violence which overshadowed their clash in the final preliminary round.

Those teams were reinstated upon appeal, with Wasquehal qualifying for the last 64 after their shootout win over Reims Saint-Anne on penalties earlier this week.

Pays de Cassel's reward is a showdown with a PSG side that could field the likes of World Cup winner Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar on January 23.

The Flanders club will host the game against the 14-time Cup winners at a venue yet to be determined. They are one of two sixth-tier teams still involved in the competition along with Strasbourg Koenigshoffen, who shocked Ligue 1 Clermont in the previous round.