England and Wales find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a major pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing recalls their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' surprise early exit.
Key Pool Pairings
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group once again, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa before the final, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the pools conclude according to the current global standings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland until the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in the competition's existence.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six group winners will face a third-placed side from the pool stages.
RWC 2027 Draw
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
