The English side together with Wales will face off in an identical pool for the 2027 RWC, promising a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing echoes their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise early exit.
Key Pool Draws
The Irish and Scotland also share a group once again, just as the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the final, assuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Tournament Implications
Should the pools play out in line with the current global standings, other top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Expanded Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other six group winners will face a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
RWC 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
