England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Group Pairings
Ireland and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a convincing victory, with their opponents failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the pools conclude according to the current global standings, other top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on that side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will open the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, Georgia and the Oaks. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will play 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
