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England and Wales will face off in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.

This pairing mirrors their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the English team's surprise group stage elimination.

Other Notable Pool Draws

Ireland and the Scots also share a group once again, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, Ireland secured a convincing win, with their opponents failing to advance to the knockout stages.

Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that Pool D.

Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa before the final, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.

Knockout Ramifications

Should the groups play out according to the current global standings, further top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.

Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.

Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture

Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.

The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to launch the competition.

In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. France are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.

Larger Format for 2027

Argentina will take on Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.

The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup existence.

While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.

Four of the other six group winners will play a team that finished third 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