England and Wales will face off in an identical pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a major pool stage encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their infamous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Key Pool Draws
The Irish and Scotland also share a pool together, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they claimed a convincing win, with their opponents unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the final, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the groups conclude in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in the competition's existence.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
RWC 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
