England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a pool together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a convincing win, with their opponents unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and world number one South Africa until the final, assuming the Springboks win their own group.
Knockout Implications
If the pools play out according to the current global standings, other top favourites like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at launch the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While 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 face a team that finished third 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
