The English side and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major pool stage encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw recalls their memorable clash in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise early exit.
Key Group Pairings
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet holders and world number one South Africa before the final, presuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
If the pools conclude according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would remain separated from both England and the Irish until the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Hosts Australia find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the other six group winners will play 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
