England and their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland and the Scots also share a group together, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the final, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
If the pools play out 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 until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the United States and 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 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's existence.
Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
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
