2027 Rugby World Cup Pools confirmed: All Blacks meets Australia, as England Draw Wales in same group, Format.

The draw for the 2027 Rugby World Cup pool stage is scheduled for Wednesday, 3 December in Sydney.

The tournament, taking place in Australia from 1 October to 13 November, will see an expansion from 20 to 24 teams.

The 12 teams that finished in the top three of their pools at the 2023 Rugby World Cup automatically qualify. This includes France, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, South Africa, Scotland, Wales, Fiji, Australia, England, Argentina, and Japan.

Other teams, including Georgia, Spain, Romania, Portugal, Tonga, Canada, the United States, Uruguay, Chile, Zimbabwe, and Hong Kong, secured their spots through regional qualifying tournaments.

The final place will be decided between Belgium or Samoa in a last-chance qualification tournament in Dubai on Tuesday.

The tournament opener will take place in Perth, while the final is scheduled for Sydney.

2027 Rugby World Cup Draw in full, pools, groups confirmed

Pool A: Australia (hosts), Hong Kong China, Chile, New Zealand

Pool B: Romania, Georgia, Italy, South Africa

Pool C: Canada, Spain, Fiji, Argentina

Pool D: Portugal, Uruguay, Scotland, Ireland

Pool E: Samoa, USA, Japan, France

Pool F: Zimbabwe, Tonga, Wales, England

World Cup Fixture Dates

The draw is complete, so when can we expect the match schedules?

Tournament organisers have confirmed that the full fixtures will be released on February 3, 2026, with tickets going on sale two weeks later, on February 18.

How the Draw Works?

Teams are seeded 1 to 24 based on their world rankings at the time of the draw. They are then distributed into four bands of six teams.

Each pool will include one team from each band.

The format of the World Cup created extra incentive for teams during the autumn internationals, as late climbs in the rankings could improve seeding.

As the host nation, Australia will automatically be in Pool A, though they could face a top-seeded team if they fail to rank among the world’s top six.

What are the current seedings?

Band 1: South Africa, New Zealand, England, Ireland, France, Argentina

Band 2: Australia, Fiji, Scotland, Italy, Georgia, Wales

Band 3: Japan, Spain, Uruguay, United States, Chile, Tonga

Band 4: Portugal, Romania, Hong Kong, Canada, Zimbabwe
(Plus either Belgium – 22nd ranked – or Samoa – 17th ranked)

Seedings accurate as of 17 November 2025

What is the format?

The 2027 Rugby World Cup will feature a round of 16 knockout stage. The matchups are structured as follows:

Winner of Pool A faces a third-place team from Pool C, E, or F
Winner of Pool B faces a third-place team from Pool D, E, or F
Winner of Pool C faces a third-place team from Pool A, E, or F
Winner of Pool D faces a third-place team from Pool B, E, or F
Runner-up of Pool C plays runner-up of Pool F
Winner of Pool E faces runner-up of Pool D
Runner-up of Pool A plays runner-up of Pool E
Winner of Pool F faces runner-up of Pool B

Caption: Teams will play one fewer pool stage match but an extra knockout game in 2027.

The top two teams from each pool advance to the round of 16, along with the four best third-place teams.

Top teams from Pools A, B, C, and D face third-place finishers from other groups.
Winners of Pools E and F meet runners-up from Pools D and B.
Runners-up from Pools A and C face runners-up from Pools E and F.

Some critics have described the format as imbalanced, but organizers say it balances out in later rounds.

For instance, Pool A’s winner will initially play a third-place team, but could eventually meet Pool B’s winner. Similarly, Pool E’s winner will face a second-place team in subsequent knockout rounds.

Why the Draw Happens So Early

It is common for World Rugby to conduct draws years ahead of the tournament. For example, the 2023 World Cup draw was held in December 2020.

That draw was controversial as the five highest-ranked teams in 2023—Ireland, France, New Zealand, South Africa, and Scotland—ended up on the same side due to rankings at the time of the draw.

For 2027, the draw is taking place closer to the tournament to: