The English side and Wales will face off in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a major pool stage clash in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing win, with their opponents failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and world number one South Africa before the final, presuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
If the pools play out according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture
Hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at launch the competition.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will face 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
