England and Wales will face off in the same group for the 2027 RWC, promising a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw echoes their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Key Pool Draws
Ireland and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group once again, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a convincing win, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
If the pools play out according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland until the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on that half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Opener
Hosts Australia have been drawn together with their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
