England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same group for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish alongside Scotland also share a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a convincing win, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa before the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks top their own group.
Knockout Implications
Should the pools conclude according to the current global standings, other top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on that side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn Italy, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 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
