England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major pool stage encounter in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing win, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as underdogs in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans top their own group.
Knockout Implications
Should the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from both England and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will open 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 the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six group winners will face a third-placed side 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
