The English side together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in Australia. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw echoes their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a group together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland claimed a convincing win, with Scotland unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, presuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
If the pools play out according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match designed to launch the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with Italy, Georgia and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will play a team that finished third 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
