England together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Pool Draws
The Irish and Scotland also share a pool together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they secured a convincing victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa before the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will open the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. France are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will play a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
