England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
Ireland and the Scots also share a pool together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they secured a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from both the English and Ireland all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
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 – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
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
