🔗 Share this article The English along with Welsh Placed in the Same Group for the 2027 World Cup in Australia The group draw was conducted by sporting icons including former All Black Dan Carter. England together with Wales have been drawn in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early encounter in Australia. Completing the group in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe. This pairing recalls their famous meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock group stage elimination. Key Pool Draws The Irish and the Scots have likewise been drawn in a pool once again, replicating the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, Ireland claimed a convincing win, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals. Los Teros and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in the last World Cup, round out that same group. Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the final, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool. Knockout Ramifications Should the groups conclude in line with the current global standings, further 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 top-ranked nation on the same side of the knockout draw as England and Ireland. Tournament Hosts Draw Major Opener Hosts Australia find themselves alongside their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A. The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in the city of Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the competition. In other groups, holders South Africa have drawn Italy, Georgia and Romania. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, 2031 hosts the United States and Manu Samoa. Expanded Tournament for 2027 Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament expands to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in France. The 2027 tournament will introduce a last-16 round for the very first time in the competition's existence. While the winner of England and Wales's group may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely Italy – in the last 16. Four of the other six group 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