England together with Wales will face off in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Key Group Draws
Ireland and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, both made a strong impression as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, presuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the pools conclude in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of the English and Ireland all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 stage for the first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
