England together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish and the Scots also share a group together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a convincing victory, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa until the final, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
Should the pools play out according to the current global standings, further top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from both the English and the Irish all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to launch the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's existence.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the other six group winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
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
