The English side together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw echoes their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland and Scotland also share a group together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a convincing win, with Scotland failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks top their own group.
Tournament Implications
If the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format 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 France.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will face a team that finished third 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
