England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in an identical pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing recalls their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Pool Draws
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a group together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they secured a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and world number one the Springboks before the final, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of the English and the Irish until the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, Georgia and the Oaks. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
