England together with Wales will face off in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their infamous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a convincing win, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from holders and world number one the Springboks before the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools conclude according to the current global standings, other top favourites like New Zealand and France would remain separated from the likes of England and Ireland until the final.
In that scenario, 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 find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to launch the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the very first time in the competition's existence.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
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
