The organisers of the top league competitions said that they had taken a "unanimous" decision to stop playing with immediate effect following an emergency meeting on Friday, having previously said games would continue to be played behind closed doors until mid-April.
The Italian and Spanish football authorities have already taken similar measures.
The representatives of the French clubs in the top two leagues made it clear that they felt it was a mistake to continue to play matches behind closed doors.
Climate of fear among players
The risk of player-to-player transmission has created a climate of fear among the top professionals.
All of this weekend's league clashes, including tonight's Lyon-Reims match, are postponed.
In last night's solemn address to the French nation, in the face of what he called "the most serious health crisis for a century," President Emmanuel Macron made no specific recommendation to restrict sports events. But the French leader did call for "a sacred union" and a high level of personal responsibility in reacting to the challenges posed by the coronavirus outbreak.
The decision by the clubs has been applauded by the professional footballers' association.
Champions League grinds to a halt
All UEFA Champions League and Europa League matches scheduled to be played next week have been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, European football's governing body said on Friday.
The move comes after two of next week's four scheduled Champions League last 16, second legs -- between Manchester City and Real Madrid, and between Juventus and Lyon -- had already been called off on Thursday.
Two other matches scheduled for next Wednesday, between Barcelona and Napoli and between Bayern Munich and Chelsea, were initially due to go ahead behind closed doors.
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