England and Wales find themselves placed in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish alongside Scotland also share a group together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they secured a convincing win, with their opponents failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in France, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the final, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Knockout Ramifications
If the groups play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Major Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
