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England and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a major early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.

This draw mirrors their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the English team's surprise group stage elimination.

Other Notable Pool Draws

The Irish and Scotland also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they secured a convincing victory, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.

Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.

Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the final, presuming the South Africans win their assigned pool.

Knockout Ramifications

Should the pools play out in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from both the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.

In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.

Hosts Draw Major Opener

Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A.

The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at launch the event.

In other groups, holders South Africa have been paired with Italy, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.

Larger Tournament for 2027

Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and Canada as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023.

This edition will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence.

Although the victor of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.

Four of the other six pool winners will play a third-placed side from the initial group phase.

Rugby World Cup 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