The English side and Wales find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Pool Draws
The Irish and Scotland also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from holders and world number one the Springboks until the final, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Implications
If the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland until the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Spain and Canada as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the first time in the competition's history.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will play a third-placed side 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
