The English side and Wales will face off in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
Ireland and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, both impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
If the pools conclude according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to launch the event.
Elsewhere, 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 United States and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Spain and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool 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
