England and Wales will face off in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing echoes their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Key Pool Draws
The Irish and Scotland also share a group together, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland claimed a convincing victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Implications
If the groups play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both 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 half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to launch the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. France are grouped with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
Rugby World Cup 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
