England and Wales will face off in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Key Group Draws
Ireland alongside the Scots also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing win, with Scotland unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and world number one South Africa until the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to launch the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, Georgia and the Oaks. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 round for the first time in the competition's history.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 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
