England together with Wales have been drawn in an identical pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Pool Draws
The Irish alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from both England and the Irish until the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn Italy, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
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
