England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their infamous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a group together, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from holders and top-ranked South Africa before the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match aimed at launch the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.
This edition will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 2027 Draw
Pool A
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Chile
- Hong Kong
Pool B
- South Africa
- Italy
- Georgia
- Romania
Pool C
- Argentina
- Fiji
- Spain
- Canada
Pool D
- Ireland
- Scotland
- Uruguay
- Portugal
Pool E
- France
- Japan
- USA
- Samoa
Pool F
- England
- Wales
- Tonga
- Zimbabwe
