England together with Wales will face off in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing recalls their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Key Pool Draws
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a group once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a convincing victory, with their opponents failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the final, presuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools conclude according to the current global standings, further top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn Italy, the Lelos and Romania. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the other 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
