England along with Wales Placed in the Same Group for the 2027 World Cup Down Under
The English side together with their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in the same pool for the 2027 RWC, setting up a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables.
This pairing recalls their infamous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
Ireland alongside Scotland also share a group once again, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland secured a convincing victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals.
Los Teros and Os Lobos, both impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D.
Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks until the final, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
Should the pools play out according to the current world rankings, other top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.
Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Draw Major Opener
Tournament hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
Australia will open the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster match designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.
Expanded Tournament for 2027
Argentina will face Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in France.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.
While the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the last 16.
Four of the remaining six group winners will face a third-placed side from the initial group phase.
RWC 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
