England and Wales find themselves placed in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This draw mirrors their famous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the English team's surprise early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, who each impressed as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D.
Notably, the victors of these two groups are kept apart from holders and world number one the Springboks until the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.
Knockout Ramifications
Should the groups conclude according to the current world rankings, further top favourites like New Zealand and France would remain separated from both the English and the Irish until the final.
Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Fixture
Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
Australia will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match aimed at jump-start the competition.
In other groups, holders the Springboks have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations from the 20 who competed in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in the competition's history.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – probably Italy – in the last 16.
A total of four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
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
