England together with Wales will face off in an identical pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw echoes their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish and the Scots also share a group together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing win, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa until the final, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Implications
If the groups play out in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in France.
This edition will introduce a last-16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six group winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.
RWC 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
