The English side and Wales will face off in the same group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw echoes their infamous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both impressed as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Implications
If the pools play out according to the current global standings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish until the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's existence.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
RWC 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
