The English side together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major early encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw echoes their infamous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Other Notable Pool Pairings
Ireland and Scotland also share a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a convincing victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that same group.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks before the final, presuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
Should the pools conclude according to the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and France would also be kept apart from the likes of England and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee match aimed at launch the competition.
In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn Italy, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will face a third-placed side 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
