England together with Wales have been drawn in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw recalls their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 win, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, assuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
If the groups play out according to the current global standings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from both England and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at launch the competition.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
Rugby World Cup 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
