The English side together with Wales find themselves placed in an identical pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the English team's shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
The Irish alongside Scotland also share a group together, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a convincing win, with their opponents unable to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans win their own group.
Knockout Implications
If the pools conclude according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and the Irish all the way to the final.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match aimed at jump-start the event.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, Georgia and Romania. The French team are grouped with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in 2023.
This edition will introduce a last-16 stage 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 have to face the runner-up from Group B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
A total of four of the other six pool winners will play 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
