England and Wales find themselves placed in the same group for the 2027 RWC, promising a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the English team's surprise early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish alongside Scotland also share a pool together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a convincing win, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and top-ranked South Africa before the final, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Knockout Ramifications
If the pools play out according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet 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 team that finished third 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
