"Certainly delighted for France. It will be a really exciting tournament."
France and Ireland had contested the independent evaluation committee's preference for South Africa and both remained confident of winning the race on Wednesday.
But it was France who proved most persuasive as the voting delegates opted against following the advice to choose South Africa, which hosted the tournament in 1995.
The 2023 tournament follows the 2019 edition, which takes place in Japan.
England hosted the most recent tournament, in 2015, when New Zealand won a second successive title after victory on home soil in 2011.
Beaumont had emphasised the "transparent selection process" before announcing the host, when World Rugby's member nations went against the recommendation.
The move could be seen as embarrassing for the sport's world governing body.
