England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the English team's surprise early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots also share a group together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they secured a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to advance 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 Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet holders and top-ranked South Africa until the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
If the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Opener
Hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners 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 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 Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the first time in the competition's existence.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will face a team that finished third 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
