🔗 Share this article England and Wales Placed in the Same Group for 2027 Rugby World Cup Down Under The pool stage draw was conducted by sporting icons such as two-time World Cup winner Dan Carter. The English side together with their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in the same group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe. This pairing mirrors their famous clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock early exit. Other Notable Pool Pairings Ireland alongside the Scots have likewise been drawn in a group once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a 36-14 victory, with their opponents failing to progress to the knockout stages. Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, complete that same group. Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool. Tournament Ramifications Should the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and Ireland until the championship decider. In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland. Tournament Hosts Draw Major Fixture Hosts Australia find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions New Zealand in Group A. The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the event. Elsewhere, holders South Africa have drawn Italy, Georgia and the Oaks. France are in a pool with Japan, 2031 hosts the USA and Manu Samoa. Expanded Format for 2027 Los Pumas will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in 2023. The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 stage for the first time in the competition's existence. Although the winner of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round. Four of the remaining six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages. Rugby World Cup 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