England together with Wales will face off in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish and the Scots also share a group once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks top their own group.
Knockout Ramifications
If the groups conclude according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from the likes of the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in France.
This edition will feature a round of 16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will play 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
