🔗 Share this article The English along with Wales Placed Together for 2027 Rugby World Cup Down Under The pool stage draw was conducted by rugby legends such as two-time World Cup winner Dan Carter. England and Wales have been drawn in the same pool for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in the tournament Down Under. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables. This draw recalls their memorable clash in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at England's home ground contributed to the English team's surprise early exit. Key Pool Pairings Ireland and Scotland have likewise been drawn in a pool together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with Scotland failing to advance to the quarter-finals. Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D. Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, assuming the South Africans win their assigned pool. Knockout Implications Should the groups conclude according to the current global standings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both the English and the Irish until the final. Under those circumstances, Los Pumas would be the remaining highly-seeded nation on that half of the knockout draw as England and Ireland. Hosts Face Blockbuster Opener Hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A. The Wallabies will open the tournament in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to jump-start the competition. In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and Romania. France are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the United States and Samoa. Expanded Format for 2027 Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to twenty-four nations from the twenty who competed in 2023. This edition will feature a last-16 stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup existence. Although the winner of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the runner-up from Group B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round. Four of the remaining six pool winners will play 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