England together with Wales find themselves placed in an identical pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa before the final, presuming the Springboks top their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
If the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and France would remain separated from the likes of England and Ireland until the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to launch the event.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023.
This edition will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
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
