England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, Ireland claimed a convincing win, with Scotland failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa before the final, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
Should the groups play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in France.
This edition will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in the competition's existence.
While the victor 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 Group B – most likely Italy – in the last 16.
Four of the other six group winners will face a third-placed side from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 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
