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Cape Town - World Rugby has announced that France will host the Under-20 Championship in 2018 with matches being played in Béziers, Perpignan and Narbonne.
The five match days will take place on May 30, June 3, June 7, June 12 and June 17.
The tournament features three pools of four teams, with the pool winners and the best runner-up progressing to the semi-finals.
Pool A: New Zealand, Australia, Wales, Japan
Pool B: England, Scotland, Italy, Argentina
Pool C: South Africa, France, Ireland, Georgia
Pool matches will be played Stade Aimé Giral in Perpignan, Stade de la Méditerranée in Béziers and the Stade d’Honneur du Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié in Narbonne. The semi-final and final venues will be announced in due course.
"The World Rugby Under-20 Championship is a proven finishing school for aspiring international players, with some of the biggest names in the game having graduated among a group of more than 550 internationals, including double World Rugby Player of the Year Beauden Barrett," said World Rugby chairperson Bill Beaumont.
"Following the success of Georgia, which broke all social media records, we are delighted to be heading to France and the rugby cities of Narbonne, Béziers and Perpignan. I am sure that the championship will capture the imagination and it will be fascinating to see who graduates to Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan.
FFR President Bernard Laporte added: "We are honoured to be hosting the World Rugby Under-20 Championship, which plays an important role in the international development of the sport. It is a proven developer of young talent and players who graduate from France 2018 will go on to compete at the highest-level at future Rugby World Cups, including 2023 in France."
