England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Pool Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a convincing victory, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked South Africa until the final, presuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
Should the pools play out according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from the likes of the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's existence.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
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
