England and Wales have been drawn in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Key Pool Draws
Ireland and the Scots also share a group once again, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing win, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and world number one South Africa before the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
If the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
