England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in an identical pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a group together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing win, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, presuming the Springboks top their own group.
Knockout Ramifications
If the groups play out according to the current global standings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland until the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in France.
This edition will feature a round of 16 round for the first time in the competition's existence.
Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will play 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
