England together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish and the Scots also share a group once again, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks until the final, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Knockout Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current global standings, further top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of the English and the Irish all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely 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.
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
