Rugby World Cup 2027 Pool Draw: The ultimate guide for all 24 teams

The 2027 Rugby World Cup Pools are set to be unveiled on Wednesday night.

All 24 nations will learn their fate, with teams split into four bands based on their World Rugby Ranking.

Watch every second of the 2027 Rugby World Cup live and on demand via Stan Sport.

From here, six pools will be drawn, with hosts Australia already allocated into Pool A.

The 2027 Rugby World Cup Pool Draw will be shown LIVE on Stan Sport and 9Gem from 8:00 pm (AEDT).

Rugby.com.au breaks down all the information you need to know on each team.

Rugby World Cup 2027 Teams
Band 1
South Africa
  • Appearances at World Cups

Eight

  • Method of qualification 

Winning the 2023 Rugby World Cup

  • Best finish

Champions (1995, 2007, 2019, 2023)

  • Who have they played the most in the past World Cup pool stages

4 -  Samoa (2003, 2007, 2011, 2015)

3 -  Scotland (1999, 2015, 2023), Romania (1995, 2019, 2023)

2 - Namibia (2011, 2019), Uruguay (1999, 2003), England (2003, 2007), USA (2007, 2015)

1 - Australia (1995), Canada (1995), Spain (1999), Georgia (2003), Wales (2011), Fiji (2011), Japan (2015), New Zealand (2019), Italy (2019), Ireland (2023), Tonga (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Argentina, France, Portugal

Never played before: Chile, Hong Kong China, Zimbabwe

New Zealand
  • Appearances at World Cups

10

  • Method of qualification 

Finished as runners-up at the 2023 Rugby World Cup

  • Best finish

Champions (1987, 2011, 2015)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

6 - Italy (1987, 1991, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2019, 2023)

4 - Tonga (1999, 2003, 2011, 2015)

3 - France (1987, 2011, 2023),  Namibia (2015, 2019, 2023), Wales (1987, 1995, 2003), Canada (2003, 2011, 2019), Japan (1995, 2011, 2019)

2 - England (1987, 1999), Fiji (1987,2011), Argentina (1987, 2015), Uruguay (2019, 2023)

1 - USA (1991), Ireland (1995), Scotland (2007), Romania (2007), Georgia (2015), South Africa (2019), Portugal (2007)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Australia

Never played before: Chile, Hong Kong China, Spain, Zimbabwe

England
  • Appearances at World Cup

10

  • Method of qualification 

Semi-finals at the 2023 Rugby World Cup

  • Best finish

Champions (2003)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

4 - USA (1987, 1991, 2007, 2019), Samoa (1995, 2003, 2007, 2019, 2023), Argentina (1995, 2011, 2019, 2023)

3 - Australia (1987, 1995, 2015), South Africa (2003, 2007), Tonga (1999, 2007, 2019),  Italy (1991, 1995, 1999)

2 - Japan (1987, 2023), New Zealand (1991,1999), Romania (1995, 2011), Uruguay (2003, 2015), Georgia (2003,2011)

1 - South Africa (2003), Romania (2011), Scotland (2011), Wales (2015), Fiji (2015), France (2019), Chile (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Canada, Ireland

Never played before: Hong Kong China, Portugal, Spain, Zimbabwe

Ireland
  • Appearances at World Cups

10

  • Method of qualification 

Finished quarter-finals at the 2023 Rugby World Cup

  • Best finish

Quarter-finals (1991, 1995, 2003, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

4 -  Romania (1987, 1999, 2003, 2015)

3 - Scotland (1991, 2019, 2023), Italy (1995, 2011, 2015), Wales (1987,1995, 1999), Argentina (1999, 2003, 2007), Japan (1991, 1995, 2019), Australia (1999, 2003, 2011)

2 -  Russia (2011, 2019), Canada (1987, 2015),  France (2007, 2015), Namibia (2003, 2007), USA (1999, 2011), Tonga (1987, 2023), Russia (2011, 2019)

1 - New Zealand (1995), Zimbabwe (1991), Georgia (2007), France (2015), Samoa (2019), South Africa (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Chile, England, Fiji, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay

Never played before: N/A (Played Chile/Hong Kong China in non-capped matches)

France
  • Appearances at World Cups

10

  • Method of qualification 

Finished quarter-finals at the 2023 Rugby World Cup

  • Best finish

Runners up (1987, 1991, 2011)

  • Who they have played in the past World Cup group stages

4 - Canada (1991, 1999, 2011, 2015)

3 - Fiji (1991, 1999, 2003), Tonga (1995, 2011, 2019), Japan (2011, 2015), Scotland (1987, 2003)

2 - Australia (1987, 2003), Ireland (2007, 2015), New Zealand (2011, 2023), Italy (2015, 2023), USA (2003, 2019)

1 - Zimbabwe (1987), Scotland (1995), Ivory Coast (1995), Georgia (2007), Argentina (2007), England (2019), Argentina (2019), Uruguay (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Australia, Portugal, Samoa, South Africa, Spain, Wales

Never played before: Hong Kong China

Argentina
  • Appearances at World Cups

10

  • Method of qualification 

Finished Fourth Place at the 2023 Rugby World Cup

  • Best finish

Third (2007)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

4 - Samoa (1991, 1995, 1999, 2023),  England (1995, 2011, 2019, 2023)

3 - Namibia (2003, 2007, 2015), Georgia (2007, 2011, 2015),

2 - New Zealand (1987, 2017), Italy (1987, 1995), Australia (1991, 2003), Wales (1991, 1999), Ireland (2003, 2007), Romania (2003, 2011), France (2007, 2019), Tonga (2015, 2019)

1 - Fiji (1987), Japan (1999), Scotland (2011), USA (2019), Japan (2023), Chile (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Canada, South Africa, Spain, Uruguay

Never played before: Hong Kong China, Portugal, Zimbabwe

Band 2
Australia
  • Appearances at World Cups

10

  • Method of qualification 

Host

  • Best finish

Champions (1991, 1999)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

5 - Wales (1991, 2007, 2015, 2019, 2023)

4 - Fiji (2007, 2015, 2019, 2023)

3 - USA (1987, 1999, 2011), Romania (1995, 1999, 2023), Ireland (1999, 2003, 2011)

2 - England (1987, 2015), Japan (1987, 2007), South Africa (1995, 2007), Argentina (1991, 2003), Uruguay (2015, 2019), Georgia (2019, 2023)

1 -  Samoa (1991), Canada (1995), Namibia (2003), Italy (2011), Russia (2011), Portugal (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: France, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain, Tonga

Never played before: Hong Kong China, Chile, Zimbabwe

Fiji
  • Appearances at World Cups

Nine

  • Method of qualification 

Finished Quarter Final at the 2023 Rugby World Cup

  • Best finish

Quarter Final (1987, 2007, 2023)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

4 - Australia (2007, 2015, 2019, 2023), Wales (2007, 2011, 2019, 2023)

3 - France (1991, 1999, 2003), Canada (1991, 1999, 2007)

2 - Namibia (1999, 2011), Japan (2003, 2007), Uruguay (2015, 2019)

1 - New Zealand (1987), Italy (1987), Argentina (1987), Romania (1991), Scotland (2003), USA (2003), South Africa (2011), Samoa (2011), England (2015), Georgia (2019), Portugal (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Ireland, Spain, Tonga

Never played before: Zimbabwe

Scotland
  • Appearances at World Cups

10

  • Method of qualification 

Finished in Third Place in their Pool at the 2023 Rugby World Cup

  • Best finish

Fourth (1991)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

4 - Romania (1987, 2007, 2011, 2023),  Japan (1991, 2003, 2015, 2019)

3 - France (1987, 1995, 2003), South Africa (1999, 2015, 2023)

2 - Zimbabwe (1987, 1991), Tonga (1995, 2023), USA (2003, 2015), Samoa (2015, 2019), Ireland (2019, 2023)

1 - Ivory Coast (1995), Spain (1999), Fiji (2003), New Zealand (2007), Italy (2007), Portugal (2007), England (2011), Argentina (2011), Georgia (2011), Russia (2019)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Australia, Canada, Chile, Wales

Never played before: Hong Kong China (non-Test)

Italy
  • Appearances at World Cups

10

  • Method of qualification 

Finished in Third Place in their Pool at the 2023 Rugby World Cup

  • Best finish

Group Stages (10 times)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

7  - New Zealand (1987, 1991, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2019, 2023)

3  - England (1991, 1995, 1999), Canada (2003, 2015, 2019)

2 - Tonga (1999, 2003), Ireland (2011, 2015), USA (1991, 2011), France (2015, 2023), Namibia (2019, 2023)

1 - Fiji (1987), Argentina (1987, 1995), Samoa (1995), Wales (2003), Scotland (2007), Romania (2007), Portugal (2007), Australia (2011), Russia (2011), Romania (2015), South Africa (2019), Uruguay (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Chile, Georgia, Japan, Spain, Zimbabwe

Never played before: Hong Kong China

Wales
  • Appearances at World Cups

10

  • Method of qualification 

Finished in the Quarter-Finals at the 2023 Rugby World Cup

  • Best finish

Third (1987)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

5 - Australia (1991, 2007, 2015, 2019, 2023), Fiji (2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023)

3 -  Canada (1987, 2003, 2007), Samoa (1991, 1999, 2011), Japan (1995, 1999, 2007)

2  - Ireland (1987, 1995), Tonga (1987, 2003), New Zealand (1995, 2003),  Argentina (1991, 1999), Uruguay (2019, 2023), Georgia (2019, 2023)

1 - Italy (2003), South Africa (2011), Namibia (2011), England (2015), Portugal (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: France, Hong Kong China, Romania, Scotland, Spain, USA, Zimbabwe

Never played before: Chile

Japan
  • Appearances at World Cups

10

  • Method of qualification 

Finished in Third Place in their Pool at the 2023 Rugby World Cup

  • Best finish

Quarter Finals (2019)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

4 - Scotland (1991, 2003, 2015, 2019), Samoa (1999, 2015, 2019, 2023)

3 - USA (1987, 2003, 2015),  Ireland (1991, 1995, 2019), Wales (1995, 1999, 2007)

2 - Australia (1987, 2007), England (1987, 2023), New Zealand (1995, 2011), Argentina (1999, 2023), France (2003, 2011), Fiji (2003, 2007), Canada (2007, 2011)

1 - Zimbabwe (1991), Tonga (2011), South Africa (2015), Russia (2019), Chile (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Georgia, Hong Kong China, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Uruguay

Never played before: N/A

Band Three
Georgia
  • Appearances at World Cups

Six

  • Method of qualification 

2025 Rugby Europe Championship winners

  • Best finish

Group Stages (Six times)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

3 - Argentina (2007, 2011, 2015)

2 - England (2003, 2011), Namibia (2007, 2015), Fiji (2019, 2023), Australia (2019, 2023), Wales (2019, 2023)

1 - Samoa (2003), Uruguay (2003), France (2007), Ireland (2007), Romania (2011), New Zealand (2015), Tonga (2015),  Uruguay (2019), Portugal (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Canada, Chile, Italy, Japan, Spain, USA, Zimbabwe

Never played before: Hong Kong China

Uruguay
  • Appearances at World Cups

Four

  • Method of qualification 

2025 Sudamérica Rugby Championship winner

  • Best finish

Group Stages (Four times)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

2 - South Africa (1999, 2003), Georgia (2003, 2019), Wales (2015, 2019), Fiji (2015, 2019)

1 - Scotland (1999), Spain (1999), England (2003), Samoa (2003), Australia (2015), France (2023), New Zealand (2023), Italy (2023), Namibia (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Argentina, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong China, Japan, Portugal, Romania, Tonga, USA

Never played before: Ireland, Zimbabwe

Spain
  • Appearances at World Cups

One

  • Method of qualification 

2025 Rugby Europe Championship runners-up

  • Best finish

Group Stages (1999)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

1 - South Africa (1999), Uruguay (1999), Scotland (1999)

  • Potential new opposition

Never played before: Australia, England, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Wales

Spain have qualified for the Rugby World Cup. Photo: World Rugby
USA
  • Appearances at World Cups

Eight

  • Method of qualification 

2025 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup fifth place

  • Best finish

Group Stages (Eight times)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

 4- England (1987, 1991, 2007, 2019)

2 - Australia (1987, 1999), Japan (1987, 2003), Ireland (1999, 2011), France (2003, 2019), Scotland (2003, 2015), Italy (1991, 2011), South Africa (2007, 2015), Tonga (2007, 2019), Samoa (2007, 2015)

1 -  New Zealand (1991), Romania (1999), Fiji (2003), Russia (2011), Japan (2015), Argentina (2019)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Canada, Chile, Georgia, Hong Kong China, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, Wales

Never played before: Zimbabwe

USA Eagles in front of a Samoa haka.
Chile
  • Appearances at World Cups

One

  • Method of qualification 

Pacific/Sudamérica qualifying play-off winner

  • Best finish

Group Stages (2023)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

1 - England (2023), Japan (2023), Samoa (2023), Argentina (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never played before: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Wales, Zimbabwe

Chile have qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Source: World Rugby
Tonga
  • Appearances at World Cups

Nine

  • Method of qualification 

2025 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup third place

  • Best finish

Group Stages (Nine times)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

4 - New Zealand (1999, 2003, 2011, 2015)

3 - France (1995, 2011, 2019), England (1999, 2007, 2019)

2 - Canada (1987, 2003), Ireland (1987, 2023), Scotland (1995, 2023)

Wales (1987), South Africa (2007, 2023), USA (2007, 2019), Argentina (2015, 2019), Italy (1999, 2003)

1 - Ivory Coast (1995), Wales (2003), Samoa (2007), Canada (2011), Japan (2011), Georgia (2015), Namibia (2015), Tonga (2019), Romania (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Chile, Fiji, Hong Kong China, Spain, Uruguay

Never played before: Australia, Portugal, Zimbabwe

Band 4
Samoa
  • Appearances at World Cups

Nine

  • Method of qualification 

Final qualification tournament

  • Best finish

Quarter-finals (1991, 1995)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

 4 -  Argentina (1991, 1995, 1999, 2023), Japan (1999, 2015, 2019, 2023), South Africa (2003, 2007, 2011, 2015)

3 - England (2003, 2007, 2023), Wales (1991, 1999, 2011)

2 - USA (2007, 2015), Scotland (2015, 2019)

1 - Australia (1991), England (1995), Italy (1995), Uruguay (2003), Georgia (2003), Tonga (2007), Fiji (2011), Namibia (2011), Ireland (2019), Russia (2019), Chile (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Canada, France, Romania, Spain

Never played before: Hong Kong China, Portugal, Zimbabwe

Samoa have qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Photo: World Rugby
Portugal
  • Appearances at World Cups

Two

  • Method of qualification 

2025 Rugby Europe Championship fourth place

  • Best finish

Group Stages (2007, 2023)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

1 - New Zealand (2007), Scotland (2007), Italy (2007), Romania (2007), Wales (2023), Fiji (2023), Australia (2023), Georgia (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never played before: Argentina, England

Portugal delivered the upset of the tournament against Fiji. Photo: Getty Images
Romania
  • Appearances at World Cups

Nine

  • Method of qualification 

Rugby European Championship third place

  • Best finish

Pool stages (Nine times)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

4 -  Scotland (1987, 2007, 2011, 2023), Ireland (1999, 2003, 2015, 2023)

3 - France (1987, 1991, 2015), Canada (1987, 1991, 2015), Australia (1995, 1999, 2003)

2 - Argentina (2003, 2011), South Africa (1995, 2023), Italy (2007, 2015)

1 - Zimbabwe (1987), Fiji (1991), USA (1999), Namibia (2003), New Zealand (2007), Portugal (2007), England (2011), Georgia (2011), Tonga (2023)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Chile, Japan, Samoa, Spain, Uruguay, Wales

Never played before: Hong Kong China

USA Men's Eagles prep a scrum against Romania - July 5, 2024, Chicago
Hong Kong
  • Appearances at World Cups

0

  • Method of qualification 

2025 Asia Rugby Championship winner

  • Best finish

N/A

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

N/A

  • Potential new opposition

Never played before: Australia, Argentina, Georgia, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, Romania, Samoa, South Africa, Uruguay.

England, France, Scotland, Wales - non capped Tests

250821 - Ian Prior in action for Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
  • Appearances at World Cups

Two

  • Method of qualification 

2025 Rugby Africa Cup winners

  • Best finish

Group Stages (1987, 1991)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

2 - Scotland (1987, 1991)

1 - France (1987), Romania (1987), Ireland (1991), Japan (1991)

  • Potential new opposition

Never played before: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, England, Fiji, Georgia, New Zealand, Samoa, South Africa, Uruguay, USA

Tyler Ardron was back on flying form returning to Canada. Source: Getty
Canada
  • Appearances at World Cups

Nine

  • Method of qualification 

2025 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup fourth place

  • Best finish

Quarter Finals (1991)

  • Who they have played in past World Cup group stages

4- France (1991, 1999, 2011, 2015)

3 - Wales (1987, 2003, 2007), Romania (1991, 1995, 2015), New Zealand (2003, 2011, 2019), Fiji (1991, 1999, 2007), Tonga (1987, 2003, 2011), Italy (2003, 2015, 2019)

2 - Ireland (1987, 2015), Australia (1995, 2007), Namibia (1999, 2019), Japan (2007, 2011), South Africa (1995, 2019)

  • Potential new opposition

Never drawn against in a pool: Argentina, Chile, England, Georgia, Hong Kong China, Portugal, Samoa, Scotland, Spain, Uruguay. USA

Never played before: Zimbabwe

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