The English side together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a group together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a convincing victory, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet holders and top-ranked South Africa until the final, assuming the Springboks win their own group.
Knockout Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to launch the competition.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have drawn Italy, Georgia and Romania. France are grouped with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six pool winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
