England together with their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a highly-anticipated early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw echoes their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland alongside the Scots also share a group once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a convincing win, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
If the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of 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
