England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major pool stage clash in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' surprise early exit.
Key Group Draws
The Irish and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 win, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa until the final, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from both England and Ireland all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in France.
This edition will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play 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
