England together with Wales will face off in an identical pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their memorable clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Draws
Ireland and Scotland also share a group together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, both made a strong impression as underdogs in France, round out that same group.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the final, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at launch the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six group winners will face a third-placed side 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
