England together with Wales will face off in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a convincing win, with their opponents failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as underdogs in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa until the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Implications
If the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and the Irish until the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play 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
