England together with Wales find themselves placed in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Pool Draws
The Irish alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in France, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and top-ranked South Africa before the final, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
If the groups play out according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 stage for the first time in the competition's existence.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third 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
