🔗 Share this article England along with Welsh Pitted Together for 2027 Rugby World Cup Down Under The group draw was overseen by sporting legends such as former All Black Dan Carter. The English side and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical pool for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a major pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and Zimbabwe. This pairing mirrors their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at England's home ground contributed to the English team's shock group stage elimination. Key Pool Pairings The Irish and Scotland also share a group once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, Ireland claimed a 36-14 win, with their opponents failing to advance to the knockout stages. Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D. Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet holders and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their assigned pool. Tournament Implications Should the pools conclude according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would remain separated from both England and Ireland until the final. Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on the same side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland. Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Fixture Tournament hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A. The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match designed to launch the competition. Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with Japan, future hosts the United States and Manu Samoa. Larger Tournament for 2027 Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Spain and Canada as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in 2023. This edition will feature a round of 16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup history. While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – most likely Italy – 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