England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Draws
Ireland alongside the Scots also share a group together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
If the pools conclude in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match aimed at launch the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, Georgia and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will face a third-placed side from the pool stages.
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
