England together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a highly-anticipated early encounter in Australia. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their memorable 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 surprise group stage elimination.
Key Pool Draws
The Irish and the Scots also share a group together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
If the groups play out according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and Ireland until the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their great 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 fixture designed to launch the event.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's existence.
Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six pool 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
