The 2027 Rugby World Cup Pools are set to be unveiled on Wednesday night in Sydney.
All 24 nations will learn their fate, with teams split into four bands based on their World Rugby Ranking.
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)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
