England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw recalls their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a convincing win, with their opponents failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, assuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
Should the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in France.
This edition will feature a round of 16 stage for the very first time in the competition's existence.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will play a third-placed side from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 2027 Groups
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
