The English side together with Wales will face off in the same pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major early encounter in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.
This pairing mirrors their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the English team's shock group stage elimination.
Key Group Pairings
The Irish alongside Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents unable to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks win their own group.
Knockout Implications
Should the pools conclude in line with the current world rankings, other top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from the likes of the English and Ireland until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on that side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture
Hosts Australia have been drawn together with their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee fixture designed to launch the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and 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 competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in Rugby World Cup history.
While the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six group winners will play a third-placed side from the pool stages.
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
