England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Key Group Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as underdogs in France, round out that same group.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
If the pools play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and the Irish all the way to 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 Draw Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. France are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in France.
This edition will feature a last-16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
RWC 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
