The English side together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, promising a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish and Scotland also share a pool together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland claimed a convincing win, with their opponents unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and world number one South Africa until the final, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
If the groups play out according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Opener
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will open the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in 2023.
This edition will feature a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining 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
