The English side together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their infamous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
Ireland alongside the Scots also share a group together, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing victory, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, presuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
If the groups play out in line with the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are grouped with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.
This edition will feature a round of 16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six pool 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
