England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups conclude in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the other 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
