🔗 Share this article The English along with Wales Pitted Together for the 2027 World Cup Down Under The pool stage draw was conducted by sporting icons including former All Black Dan Carter. The English side together with their Welsh counterparts will face off 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 Zimbabwe. This draw echoes their infamous meeting in the group phase of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham played a part in the hosts' surprise early exit. Key Pool Pairings Ireland and the Scots also share a group together, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they secured a convincing victory, with Scotland unable to advance to the quarter-finals. Uruguay and Portugal, who each impressed as underdogs in the last World Cup, complete that Pool D. Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked South Africa before the final, presuming the Springboks top their assigned pool. Knockout Ramifications If the pools conclude in line with the current global standings, other leading contenders like the All Blacks and France would also be kept apart from the likes of the English and the Irish until the championship decider. In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same half of the knockout draw as those northern hemisphere teams. Hosts Face Major Fixture Hosts the Wallabies have been drawn alongside their great rivals and three-time winners New Zealand in Group A. The Wallabies will kick off the tournament in the city of Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the event. Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with Italy, the Lelos and Romania. France are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa. Larger Tournament for 2027 Los Pumas will take on the Flying Fijians, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to twenty-four nations from the twenty who took part in 2023. The 2027 tournament will introduce a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's history. Although the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the game's biggest beasts early on, they will meet the second-placed team from Pool B – probably the Italians – in the first knockout round. A total of 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