England and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, Ireland secured a convincing win, with their opponents unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and world number one the Springboks until the final, assuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the groups play out in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to launch the event.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in France.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will play a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
