The English side and Wales will face off in an identical pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their memorable clash in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, assuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
Should the pools conclude in line with the current global standings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from both the English and Ireland until the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.
This edition will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six group winners will face a third-placed side 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
