England together with their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in an identical pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their infamous clash in the pool stages 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 Pairings
The Irish and Scotland also share a group once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, both impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
Should the pools play out according to the current global standings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman 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 blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the other six pool winners will face a third-placed side 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
