England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their memorable meeting 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.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a pool together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, presuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Implications
If the pools play out in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from both the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to launch the competition.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in the competition's existence.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
RWC 2027 Groups
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
