England together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major early encounter in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their infamous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Draws
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a pool together, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, round out that same group.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa before the showpiece match, presuming the South Africans win their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
Should the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
RWC 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
