England together with Wales find themselves placed in the same pool 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 Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
Ireland and Scotland also share a pool together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland secured a 36-14 win, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each impressed as underdogs in France, round out that same group.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
If the pools conclude according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from both the English and Ireland until the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to launch the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with Italy, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
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
