Scotland will play Italy, France and Georgia prior to this year's World Cup.

France will then welcome the Scots on 12 August before Georgia come to Murrayfield on 26 August.

Townsend's team open their World Cup Pool B campaign against South Africa on 10 September before matches with Tonga (24 September), Romania (30 September) and Ireland (7 October).

The head coach believes "2023 is a huge year for our national team".

"All four fixtures will provide invaluable experiences in our preparation for the tournament," Townsend said of the late summer Tests.

"Having the opportunity to play at home on three occasions before we depart will enable our players to feel the backing of our supporters ahead of setting off for the World Cup.

"The match against France away from home will be very important as we are going to spend time at our training base for the World Cup in Nice prior to the match and replicate the schedule our players will experience during the tournament itself."

Scotland open their Six Nations campaign away to England on 4 February and face Wales (home), France (away), Ireland (home) and Italy (home) in early spring.