England and Wales find themselves placed in an identical pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in Australia. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw recalls their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the English team's shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a convincing victory, with their opponents failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the final, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
If the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from the likes of the English and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off 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 in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will play a third-placed side 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
