England and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa 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, other top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland until the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to launch the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will play a third-placed side from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 2027 Groups
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