England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw echoes their infamous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, both impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one South Africa before the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – probably the Italians – 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.
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
