England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major pool stage clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, round out that same group.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked South Africa until the final, assuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Implications
If the pools play out in line with the current global standings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to launch the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn Italy, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's existence.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the other six pool winners will play a third-placed side from the pool stages.
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
