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The English side and Wales find themselves placed in an identical group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated early clash in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables.

This pairing echoes their infamous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the hosts' shock early exit.

Key Group Draws

Ireland and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a group together, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a convincing win, with Scotland unable to progress to the knockout stages.

Uruguay and Os Lobos, who each impressed as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that Pool D.

Notably, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and top-ranked South Africa until the final, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool.

Knockout Ramifications

If the pools conclude according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish all the way to the championship decider.

Under those circumstances, Argentina would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.

Tournament Hosts Draw Major Fixture

Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside 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 match designed to jump-start the competition.

In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa.

Expanded Format for 2027

Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and Canada as the World Cup expands to twenty-four nations 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.

While the winner 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 – most likely the Italians – in the last 16.

Four of the remaining six pool winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.

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