🔗 Share this article The English along with Welsh Placed Together for RWC 2027 in Australia The pool stage draw was overseen by sporting icons such as two-time World Cup winner Dan Carter. The English side and their Welsh counterparts will face off in the same group for the World Cup in 2027, promising a highly-anticipated pool stage clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and the Zimbabwean Sables. This pairing recalls their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 tournament, where a Welsh win at Twickenham contributed to the English team's shock group stage elimination. Other Notable Group Draws The Irish alongside Scotland also share a group once again, just as the scenario from the France 2023 tournament. In that tournament, they secured a convincing victory, with their opponents failing to progress to the knockout stages. Los Teros and Os Lobos, both impressed as underdogs in France, round out that same group. Significantly, the victors of these two groups cannot meet defending champions and world number one the Springboks until the final, presuming the Springboks top their own group. Tournament Ramifications Should the pools play out according to the current world rankings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and Ireland until the championship decider. In that scenario, Argentina would be the other top-ranked nation on the same half of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams. Tournament Hosts Draw Blockbuster Opener Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A. Australia will kick off the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to launch the competition. Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa. Expanded Tournament for 2027 Argentina will face the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup expands to 24 teams from the 20 who took part in France. This edition will feature a round of 16 round for the first time in the competition's history. Although the victor of Pool F may be kept apart from some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – probably the Italians – in the last 16. Four of the other six group winners will face a third-placed side from the initial group phase. 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