The English side together with Wales find themselves placed in an identical pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw echoes their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish alongside Scotland also share a group once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
If the pools play out according to the current global standings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from both the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in 2023.
This edition will feature a round of 16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
RWC 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
