The English side and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa before the final, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
If the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from both the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on the same side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to launch the competition.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have drawn Italy, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the first time in the competition's history.
Although the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play a third-placed side from the pool stages.
RWC 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
