England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing win, with Scotland unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the final, presuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to launch the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.
This edition will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six group winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
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
