England and Wales will face off in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
The Irish and the Scots also share a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked South Africa before the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their own group.
Knockout Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from both the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match aimed at launch the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 round for the first time in the competition's existence.
Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side from the pool stages.
RWC 2027 Groups
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
