England and Wales will face off in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw recalls their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Group Pairings
Ireland and the Scots also share a group once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both impressed 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 the Springboks until the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Implications
If the pools play out in line with the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Major Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's existence.
While the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third 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
