🔗 Share this article The English along with Wales Drawn in the Same Group for 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia The pool stage draw was overseen by rugby icons such as former All Black Dan Carter. The English side and Wales have been drawn in the same group for the 2027 RWC, setting up a highly-anticipated early encounter in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables. This draw echoes their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock group stage elimination. Key Group Pairings The Irish alongside the Scots also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, Ireland secured a convincing win, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals. Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D. Notably, the winners of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, presuming the Springboks win their own group. Tournament Implications Should the pools conclude in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and France would remain separated from the likes of England and the Irish all the way to the championship decider. In that scenario, Argentina would be the other highly-seeded nation on the same half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland. Hosts Face Major Fixture Tournament hosts Australia find themselves alongside their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A. Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match designed to jump-start the competition. Elsewhere, holders the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, Georgia and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa. Expanded Format for 2027 Argentina will take on the Flying Fijians, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who competed in France. The 2027 tournament will feature a last-16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence. While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round. A total of four of the remaining six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages. 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