England together with Wales find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major pool stage encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Group Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots also share a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, both impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the final, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from both England and Ireland until the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to launch the event.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side from the pool stages.
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
