The English side together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing echoes their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Pool Draws
Ireland alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing win, with Scotland failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, round out that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa until the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of England and the Irish until the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
