England and Wales find themselves placed in the same group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing recalls their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a pool together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks before the final, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts Australia find themselves alongside their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup 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. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six pool winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
