Wales Rugby League Men will take on France, Italy and Spain in group B of the European Championship 2023.

The winners of the group will face the top ranked side in group A in the final on the weekend of November 10-12. Group A consists of top seeds England, alongside Ireland, Scotland and Serbia.

The tournament will also act as a route to the 2025 World Cup, which France qualify for as hosts. The highest ranked of the other three teams in group B will automatically qualify for the World Cup, with the remaining two teams entering an additional qualifying process in 2024.

Our last win against France came in Cardiff in 2015, on the way to lifting the European crown for the seventh time.

“I think it’s a good draw for us and we’re looking forward to it,” said Mark Moxon, assistant coach.

“We were competitive in the World Cup a few months ago against really good opposition. We want to push forward and build on that and look towards qualification for the World Cup in 2025.

“We’ve always been competitive in the European Championships. We’ve got a core group of players who have been together for a long time.  We enjoy our time together and always give our best. While you’re doing that it’s going to be enjoyable and we look forward to this tournament coming up.”

Full details of fixtures will be released in due course. Group stage matches are scheduled to take place on the weekends of October 20-22, October 27-29 and November 3-5. The European Championship final will be held over the weekend of November 10-12.