England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Pool Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked South Africa until the final, presuming the Springboks top their own group.
Knockout Implications
If the pools conclude according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish all the way to the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in France.
This edition will feature a last-16 stage for the first time in the competition's history.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will play 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
