England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
The Irish alongside Scotland also share a group once again, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a convincing win, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, both impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one South Africa until the final, assuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
If the groups conclude according to the current global standings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and the Irish all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in 2023.
This edition will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third 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
