England together with Wales find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major early encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Draws
Ireland and Scotland also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks before the final, assuming the Springboks top their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from both England and Ireland all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
