The English side together with Wales find themselves placed in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing echoes their famous 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.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a pool together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a 36-14 victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the final, presuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
Should the groups play out in line with the current global standings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
This edition will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 2027 Draw
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
