England together with Wales will face off in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' surprise early exit.
Key Pool Draws
The Irish and the Scots also share a group together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks until the final, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out in line with the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six pool 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
