England and Wales will face off in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a convincing victory, with their opponents failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one South Africa before the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the pools conclude in line with the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and Canada as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool 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
