🔗 Share this article England along with Wales Pitted Together for the 2027 World Cup Down Under The pool stage draw was conducted by sporting legends such as former All Black Dan Carter. England and their Welsh counterparts find themselves placed in an identical pool for the World Cup in 2027, setting up a major 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 mirrors their memorable meeting in the group phase of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's surprise early exit. Key Group Draws Ireland and the Scots also share a group together, just as the scenario from the 2023 edition. In that tournament, they claimed a 36-14 win, with Scotland unable to advance to the knockout stages. Los Teros and Portugal, who each made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that same group. Significantly, the winners of both Pool D and Pool F are kept apart from defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks before the showpiece match, assuming the Springboks top their own group. Knockout Implications If the groups play out in line with the current world rankings, other leading contenders like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from both England and Ireland until the final. In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams. Hosts Face Major Fixture Hosts Australia find themselves together with their great rivals and three-time winners the All Blacks in Pool A. Australia will open the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a marquee match designed to launch the event. In other groups, reigning champions the Springboks have drawn Italy, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with Japan, future hosts the USA and Samoa. Larger Tournament for 2027 Los Pumas will face Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in France. This edition will feature a round of 16 stage for the first time in the competition's history. While the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the runner-up from Pool B – probably Italy – in the first knockout round. 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