🔗 Share this article

England and Wales will face off in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated early encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.

This draw echoes their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise group stage elimination.

Key Pool Pairings

The Irish and Scotland also share a group together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they secured a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to progress to the knockout stages.

Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.

Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, assuming the South Africans win their own group.

Tournament Ramifications

If the pools conclude according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish until the championship decider.

In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.

Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture

Hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.

The Wallabies will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match aimed at launch the event.

Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.

Expanded Format for 2027

Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023.

This edition will feature a last-16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.

Although the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.

A total of four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third 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