Rugby World Cup 2027: the pools
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
Joe Schmidt is confirming that there’ll be no ongoing role for him with Australian rugby after his contract runs its term in mid-2026 and there’ll be no fourth World Cup for him in 2027. Instead he’ll happily hand over the Wallabies to Queensland Reds boss Les Kiss, his former right-hand man during Ireland’s glory days “and we’ll be in contact anyway.”
I’ll be in the stadium watching. Rugby World Cups are special. The atmosphere builds into a crescendo on match days. I’m excited it’s only two years away… and in some other ways I can’t wait to not be involved because it’s pretty nerve-wracking!
That’s it for tonight’s 2027 World Cup draw, folks. Thanks for your texts and emails and good luck plotting a path to the final for your team!
Pool stages = Locked 🔒#RWC2027Draw | #RWC2027 pic.twitter.com/LhHC20tELI
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) December 3, 2025
Updated