The English side and Wales find themselves placed in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing recalls their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Pool Draws
The Irish alongside Scotland also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa before the final, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the groups conclude in line with the current world rankings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish until the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on the same side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six pool winners will face a third-placed side from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 2027 Groups
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
