England together with Wales find themselves placed in the same group for the 2027 RWC, promising a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool together, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
If the pools play out in line with the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Major Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to launch the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the first time in the competition's history.
Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six pool 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
