England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major early encounter in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
The Irish and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa before the final, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups conclude according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six group winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
