England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw echoes their infamous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they claimed a convincing win, with Scotland failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as underdogs in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and world number one South Africa until the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks top their own group.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the pools conclude according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from the likes of England and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on the same side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Hosts Australia find themselves together with their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in 2023.
This edition will feature a round of 16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will play a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
