🔗 Share this article

The English side together with Wales find themselves placed in an identical pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.

This draw echoes their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's surprise early exit.

Other Notable Pool Pairings

The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool together, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a convincing win, with Scotland unable to advance to the knockout stages.

Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that same group.

Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their own group.

Tournament Ramifications

Should the pools conclude in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and the Irish all the way to the final.

Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.

Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture

Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.

Australia will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the event.

In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. France are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.

Expanded Tournament for 2027

Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.

This edition will introduce a round of 16 stage for the first time in the competition's history.

Although the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.

A total of four of the other six pool winners will face a third-placed side 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