The English side and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated early encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing recalls their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.
Key Pool Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a group together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing victory, with their opponents failing to progress to the knockout stages.
Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the final, assuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Tournament Ramifications
If the groups play out according to the current global standings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match aimed at launch the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third from the initial group phase.
RWC 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
