Paul Nicholson, communications director on the board of the RLEF, will conduct the draw for the 2018 U19 European Championship, on Facebook Live at 4pm (UK time) on Friday 29 September. The seven confirmed participants and the winner of the qualification tie between Italy and Ukraine will go into the draw to determine the first round of matches.

The competition, scheduled for Belgrade, Serbia, will see the teams divided into three pots: France and England top seeds; Scotland and Wales second seeds; and the remaining nations, including Ireland, Russia and the hosts in the third grouping.

Double-header match-days will be staged at two venues and all eight nations will play for rankings on finals day on 11 August, which will see the champions crowned.  

“Next year will see the adoption of a new RLEF eight-year strategy with an invigorated media component whose purpose will be to raise the profile of the RLEF’s members and competitions,” said general manager Danny Kazandjian, “This early draw will allow the nations to plot their build-up and ensures an exciting launch of what promises to be a fantastic competition which shows the growth of the junior game across the continent.”