The English side and Wales have been drawn in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major pool stage encounter in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
Ireland and Scotland also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a convincing win, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and top-ranked South Africa before the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their own group.
Knockout Implications
If the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would remain separated from the likes of the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's existence.
While the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
Rugby World Cup 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
