England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a highly-anticipated early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish and the Scots also share a pool together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they secured a 36-14 victory, with Scotland failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, presuming the Springboks top their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
If the groups conclude in line with the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – 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.
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
