England and Wales will face off in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major early clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Key Pool Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both impressed as underdogs in France, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the final, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
If the groups conclude in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand 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.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in 2023.
This edition will introduce a last-16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will play a third-placed side 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
