In preparation for their European Championship bid, French coach Richard Agar is set to announce his squad on 1st October.

The group will then go into camp in Perpignan from 12th-14th October in preparation for the Tricolors’ opening game against Ireland in Albi on 17th (kick off 3.30pm), tickets for which have just gone on sale.

In last season’s European Championship, the Irish triumphed 22-12, a result that saw the French deprived of qualification for the 2016 Four Nations alongside England, Australia and New Zealand.

Carlos Zalduendo, president of the French Rugby League, commented: “This is a very important year for us. We underperformed in the European Championship last year and failed to find our rhythm but the players now have that greater experience.

“We must win to be more credible and the prospect of being in the 2017 World Cup is a motivation too. There is also the ‘Paul Barrière Challenge’ game against England coming up which is more than a friendly match, we will be able to assess ourselves against a top three team.”

The French Rugby League have also confirmed that they will livestream their games on their website.