The English side together with Wales find themselves placed in the same group for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a group once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with Scotland unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, both impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa before the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and France would remain separated from the likes of England and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. France are grouped with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's existence.
While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six pool winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 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
