England and Wales find themselves placed 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 Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their infamous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish alongside Scotland also share a pool together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks until the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks top their own group.
Knockout Ramifications
If the pools play out according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of England and the Irish 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.
Hosts Face Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with Italy, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's existence.
Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the other six pool winners will play a third-placed side 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
