The English side and Wales find themselves placed in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their memorable 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
The Irish and the Scots also share a pool together, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 win, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, both impressed as underdogs in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the groups conclude in line with the current world rankings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and the Irish all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on that side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to launch the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions 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
Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts 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 play a third-placed side 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
