England and Wales have been drawn in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major early encounter in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
If the groups play out in line with the current global standings, other top favourites like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from the likes of England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six group 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
