With the 2027 Rugby World Cup complete, here are all the confirmed pools for the tournament that is hosted by Australia. The tournament will begin on 1 October 2027.
This is the first time we will have 24 teams at the World Cup. The teams were placed into four bands based on the World Rankings as of 30 November 2025.
There are six groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group qualify while the best four third placed sides will also advance to the round of 16 - another first for the Rugby World Cup.
There are some very interesting match-ups in the pool stage, none more so that New Zealand and Australia in Pool A. Two-time defending champions, South Africa have one of the tougher pools, although they shouldn't have any issues qualifying from Pool B.
2027 Rugby World Cup Pools
| Band | Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D | Pool E | Pool F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand | South Africa | Argentina | Ireland | France | England |
| 2 | Australia | Italy | Fiji | Scotland | Japan | Wales |
| 3 | Chile | Georgia | Spain | Uruguay | USA | Tonga |
| 4 | Hong Kong China | Romania | Canada | Portugal | Samoa | Zimbabwe |
In compliance with player safety, no team will play more than the usual games at the Rugby World Cup. To win win/lose in the final, you will still play the usual seven matches. However, the tournament matches have increased from 48 to 54 with at least five-day turnarounds between group games.
In order to explain who plays who in the round of 16, we thought it best to use an image from the Rugby World Cup, rather than try explaining it in words.
