England and Wales will face off in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing recalls their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa until the final, assuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the pools conclude in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from both England and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to launch the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six group winners will play a third-placed side from the pool stages.
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
