The English side together with Wales will face off in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major early encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their memorable clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground played a part in the hosts' shock group stage elimination.
Key Pool Pairings
The Irish alongside the Scots also share a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a 36-14 win, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group.
Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool.
Knockout Implications
Should the pools conclude in line with the current global standings, other top favourites like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Tournament Hosts Face Major Fixture
Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A.
The Wallabies will open the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the event.
Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023.
The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 stage for the very first time in the competition's existence.
Although the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's heavyweights initially, they will have to face the runner-up from Group B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round.
A total of four of the other six group winners will face a team that finished third 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
