England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish alongside Scotland also share a group once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked South Africa until the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the pools play out according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from both the English and Ireland all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at launch the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are grouped with Japan, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's existence.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.
RWC 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
