The English side and Wales find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing recalls their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Key Group Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a group once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, Ireland claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the pools conclude according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side 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
