England and Wales have been drawn in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Key Group Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots also share a group once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a convincing victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the final, presuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the groups play out in line with the current global standings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from the likes of England and the Irish all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on the same half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are grouped with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.
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 be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
