England and Wales find themselves placed in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw recalls their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the English team's surprise early exit.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Knockout Ramifications
If the pools conclude in line with the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts Australia find themselves together with their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at launch the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in France.
This edition will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the other six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
