England together with Wales have been drawn in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock group stage elimination.
Key Pool Pairings
Ireland and the Scots also share a pool together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, Ireland secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa before the final, assuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Implications
If the pools conclude in line with the current global standings, further top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on that half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with Italy, Georgia and Romania. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will play a third-placed side 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
