The English side and Wales find themselves placed in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a group once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing win, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, round out that same group.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and world number one the Springboks until the final, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
If the pools conclude according to the current global standings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of England and Ireland until the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at launch the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will play a third-placed side 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
