England together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Key Pool Pairings
Ireland and the Scots also share a pool together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland secured a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked South Africa until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Ramifications
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 Ireland until the final.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to launch the event.
In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have drawn Italy, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the first time in the competition's history.
Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six pool winners will face a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
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
