England and Wales have been drawn in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots also share a pool together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland secured a 36-14 win, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both impressed as underdogs in France, complete that same group.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Knockout Ramifications
If the groups play out according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in France.
This edition will feature a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's existence.
Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining 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
