England together with Wales have been drawn in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish and Scotland also share a group once again, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa until the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools play out in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from both the English and Ireland until the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. France are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the first time in the competition's existence.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
