England together with Wales will face off in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major pool stage clash in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw recalls their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Pool Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a convincing win, with their opponents unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa before the final, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the pools play out according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would remain separated from both England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six group winners will face 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
