England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
Ireland and the Scots also share a group together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa before the final, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the pools conclude according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of the English and Ireland all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on that side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to launch the event.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 stage for the first time in the competition's existence.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – 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 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
