The English side together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major pool stage encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a group together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing win, with their opponents failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, presuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the groups conclude according to the current global standings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland until the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture
Hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.
This edition will feature a round of 16 stage for the first time in the competition's history.
While the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six group winners will play a team that finished third 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
