England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock group stage elimination.
Key Pool Draws
The Irish and Scotland also share a pool together, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a 36-14 win, with Scotland failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the pools play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from the likes of the English and the Irish until the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on that half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in France.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 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
