🔗 Share this article

The English side and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.

This pairing mirrors their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination.

Key Pool Draws

Ireland and Scotland also share a pool once again, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a convincing victory, with their opponents unable to progress to the knockout stages.

Los Teros and Portugal, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.

Significantly, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.

Tournament Implications

If the pools conclude according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland all the way to the final.

In that scenario, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.

Hosts Face Major Opener

Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.

Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at launch the competition.

In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.

Larger Tournament for 2027

Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.

This edition will feature a round of 16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.

Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.

Four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.

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