France’s July Tests: Squad, fixtures, global kick-off times, referees and where to watch the Nations Championship
Fabien Galthie (right) will lead France into a tough Nations Championship block
France will take on the All Blacks, Australia and Japan in the opening three Tests of the inaugural Nations Championship.
After securing a second successive Six Nations title, which was also their third in five Championships, Fabien Galthié appears to be using the July Tests as a way to test out his full depth chart, with key men like Louis Bielle-Biarrey missing from the initial squad. They will, however, call in some further reinforcements following Saturday’s Top 14 final.
This is nothing new for Les Bleus, though, who deployed a similar tactic in last year’s three-Test series against the All Blacks.
But, it will be no walk in the park for France, who have some difficult Tests booked in the calendar next month.
France face tough Nations Championship Tests
Galthié’s men take on their toughest opponents at the start of the month, with the All Blacks lined up on Saturday, 4 July at the newly-opened One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch. RFU official Luke Pearce is the man in the middle for that clash, with Christophe Ridley and Katsuki Furuse named as the assistants. Marius van der Westhuizen has also been appointed TMO.
France, who will have their Top 14 finalists available, then head to Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane to square off with the Wallabies. It’s another RFU official in charge there, with Karl Dickson the man with the whistle, while Ridley and Furuse will again be assisting. Andrew Jackson is the TMO.
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The third and final week of the July Tests then sees France head further east to take on Japan at Tokyo National Stadium in the capital city. New Zealand’s Ben O’Keefe will officiate that contest, with Andrea Piardi and the aforementioned Pearce his assistants. Glenn Newman is named as the TMO.
All of France’s fixtures will be aired on TF1 for a domestic audience.
France’s Nations Championship July Fixtures
New Zealand v France
Date: Saturday, 4 July, 2026
Venue: One New Zealand Stadium, Christchurch
Kick-off: 19:10 (local), 08:10 (UK), 09:10 (France), 09:10 (South Africa), 17:10 (AEST), 16:10 (JST), 4:10 (Argentina), 3:10 (July 5, EDT)
Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU)
Assistant Referees: Christophe Ridley (RFU), Katsuki Furuse (JRFU)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
FPRO: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
Broadcasters: ITV (United Kingdom), TF1 (France), Virgin Media Television (Republic of Ireland), Sky Italia (Italy), Wowow (Japan), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Nine Network / Stan Sport (Australia), SuperSport (South Africa)
Australia v France
Date: Saturday, 11 July, 2026
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-off: 17:40 (local), 08:40 (UK), 09:40 (France), 09:40 (South Africa), 19:40 (NZST), 16:40 (JST), 4:40 (July 5, Argentina), 3:40 (July 5, EDT)
Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)
Assistant Referees: Christophe Ridley (RFU), Katsuki Furuse (JRFU)
TMO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)
FPRO: Glenn Newman (NZR)
Broadcasters: ITV (United Kingdom), TF1 (France), Virgin Media Television (Republic of Ireland), Sky Italia (Italy), Wowow (Japan), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Nine Network / Stan Sport (Australia), SuperSport (South Africa)
Japan v France
Date: Saturday, 18 July, 2026
Venue: Tokyo National Stadium, Tokyo
Kick-off: 17:40 (local), 08:40 (UK), 9:40 (France), 9:40 (South Africa), 19:40 (NZST), 18:40 (AEST), 5:40 (Argentina), 4:40 (EDT)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR)
Assistant Referees: Andrea Piardi (FIR), Luke Pearce (RFU)
TMO: Glenn Newman (NZR)
FPRO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)
Broadcasters: ITV (United Kingdom), TF1 (France), Virgin Media Television (Republic of Ireland), Sky Italia (Italy), Wowow (Japan), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Nine Network / Stan Sport (Australia), SuperSport (South Africa)
France squad for Nations Championship
Forwards: Moses Alo-Émile, Hugo Auradou, Demba Bamba, Esteban Capilla, Sipili Falatea, Marko Gazzotti, Mickaël Guillard, Oscar Jegou, Maxime Lamothe, Barnabé Massa, Temo Matiu, Régis Montagne, Boris Palu, Jefferson Poirot, Tom Staniforth, Tevit Tatafu, Killian Tixeront, Reda Wardi
Backs: Theo Attissogbe, Fabien Brau-Boirie, Nicolas Depoortere, Mathis Ferté, Théo Forner, Émilien Gailleton, Aaron Grandidier Nkanang, Antoine Hastoy, Matthieu Jalibert, Nolann le Garrec, Maxime Lucu, Yoram Moefana, Damian Penaud, Max Spring
N.B: Top 14 finalists will link up with the squad next week, but are not available for the opening Test against the All Blacks.
