England together with their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major early clash in the tournament Down Under. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing mirrors their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at England's home ground played a part in the English team's surprise group stage elimination.
Other Notable Group Pairings
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a pool 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, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the winners of these two groups cannot meet holders and top-ranked South Africa until the final, presuming the South Africans top their own group.
Tournament Implications
Should the pools conclude in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would remain separated from both England and Ireland until the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland.
Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener
Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition.
Elsewhere, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Spain and Canada as the tournament grows to twenty-four nations from the 20 who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the first time in the competition's existence.
While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round.
Four of the other 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
