England and Welsh Placed in the Same Group for the 2027 World Cup Down Under

England together with their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe.

This pairing recalls their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' surprise group stage elimination.

Other Notable Group Pairings

Ireland alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they claimed a convincing victory, with their opponents failing to progress to the quarter-finals.

Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each impressed as underdogs in France, complete that same group.

Notably, the winners of these two groups are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their own group.

Knockout Implications

If the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, further leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would remain separated from both the English and the Irish all the way to the final.

In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland.

Tournament Hosts Draw Major Opener

Tournament 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 tournament in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a marquee fixture aimed at jump-start the event.

In other groups, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the USA and Samoa.

Expanded Tournament for 2027

Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in France.

This edition will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's history.

Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.

Four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third 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