England and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their infamous clash in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Pool Draws
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a group together, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 victory, with Scotland failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and world number one South Africa until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
If the groups play out according to the current global standings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from the likes of England and the Irish all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
This edition will feature a round of 16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will face 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
