England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Key Group Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the final, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Knockout Implications
If the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at launch the competition.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 round for the first time in the competition's history.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 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
