England together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their memorable clash in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
Ireland and the Scots also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools conclude in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland until the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match aimed at launch the event.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have drawn Italy, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in France.
This edition will introduce a last-16 stage for the first time in the competition's history.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
Rugby World Cup 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
