England together with Wales will face off in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing echoes their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the English team's shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Draws
The Irish alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and world number one the Springboks before the final, presuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
If the pools play out according to the current global standings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from the likes of the English 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 knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other 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
