🔗 Share this article England and Wales Placed Together for RWC 2027 Down Under The pool stage draw was overseen by rugby icons such as two-time World Cup winner Dan Carter. The English side together with their Welsh counterparts have been drawn in an identical group for the 2027 RWC, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe. This draw mirrors their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' surprise group stage elimination. Key Pool Pairings The Irish and the Scots also share a pool once again, replicating the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a convincing victory, with their opponents unable to advance to the quarter-finals. Uruguay and Portugal, both impressed as underdogs in France, round out that same group. Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked South Africa before the final, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool. Knockout Ramifications If the groups conclude according to the current global standings, further top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland until the championship decider. Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on that side of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams. Tournament Hosts Draw Major Opener Hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A. Australia will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at launch the competition. Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and Romania. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa. Larger Tournament for 2027 Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in 2023. This edition will feature a last-16 round for the very first time in the competition's existence. While the victor of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round. A total of four of the other six group winners will play a team that finished third from the pool stages. 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