England together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw echoes their infamous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland and the Scots also share a group together, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they claimed a convincing win, with their opponents failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as underdogs in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and top-ranked South Africa until the final, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
If the groups conclude 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 England and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn Italy, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the first time in the competition's history.
Although the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six pool winners will face a team that finished third 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
