England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing win, with their opponents failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and top-ranked South Africa until the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
If the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like New Zealand and France would remain separated from both the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand 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.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the other six group winners will face a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
Rugby World Cup 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
