The English side together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing recalls their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the English team's shock early exit.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a convincing victory, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from holders and world number one the Springboks until the final, presuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools conclude in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Hosts Australia find themselves together with their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
