England together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw 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 Pairings
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing victory, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Knockout Ramifications
If the pools play out according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and the Irish all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.
This edition will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
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
