The English side and Wales will face off in an identical pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Key Group Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a convincing victory, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current global standings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland until the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on that side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six group winners will face a third-placed side from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 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
