The English side together with Wales have been drawn in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major early clash in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing 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 group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish and the Scots also share a pool together, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing win, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks before the final, assuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
If the pools play out according to the current global standings, further top favourites like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland until the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn Italy, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
RWC 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
