England together with Wales will face off in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw recalls their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Key Group Pairings
Ireland and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in France, complete that same group.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked South Africa before the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the groups play out according to the current global standings, other top favourites like New Zealand and France would remain separated from the likes of the English and Ireland all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six group winners will play a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
