England together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their infamous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they secured a convincing win, with their opponents failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks before the final, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
If the groups play out according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from both the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn Italy, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third 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
