The draw for Rugby World Cup 2027 took place in Sydney, Australia, host country of the sport’s next global spectacle.
It will be the biggest ever Rugby World Cup with 24 teams competing, up from 20 countries at recent editions.
At first glance looking at the pool draw, one may feel it was a good one for South Africa, who were pitted in pool B against 10th-ranked Italy, 13th-ranked Georgia and 22nd-ranked Romania.
Top their pool
The Springboks will be widely expected to top their pool and will face the best third-placed finisher in Pools D/E/F in the Round of 16.
On paper – or rather the latest World Rugby rankings – that should be one of Uruguay (14th), USA (16th) or Tonga (18th).
But in the quarter-finals is where things get interesting.
The Springboks will play the winner of Pool A which in all likelihood will be New Zealand (or Australia).
That would mean a repeat of the most recent Rugby World Cup final in 2023, in the Last 8 in 2027.
Spicy!
Should Rassie Erasmus’s men get past the All Blacks, a likely semi-final clash against France awaits.
If the Springbok sneak through that (one point will suffice!) a final against Ireland or England is most probable.
Rugby World Cup 2027 groups
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D | Pool E | Pool F |
| New Zealand | South Africa | Argentina | Ireland | France | England |
| Australia | Italy | Fiji | Scotland | Japan | Wales |
| Chile | Georgia | Spain | Uruguay | USA | Tonga |
| Hong Kong China | Romania | Canada | Portugal | Samoa | Zimbabwe |
Path to the final
How the draw worked
The 24 qualified teams were placed into six pools of four, A to F.
For the draw, teams are split into four bands of six, based on the latest World Rugby rankings.
Band 1 was South Africa, New Zealand, England, Ireland, France and Argentina.
Those six will be in separate pools in the first round.
Joining them in each pool will be one team each from bands 2, 3 and 4.
How does it compare to previous World Cups?
More teams means an extra knockout round and slightly more matches – 52 games compared to 48 last time.
Another change is from five teams in each pool to four, so one fewer match for each team in the group stage.
For example, when South Africa won Rugby World Cup 2023 they played seven games: four in the pool stage and a quarter-final, a semi-final and final.
If they were to reach the final in 2027 they would still play seven games: three in the pool stage, then round of 16, a quarter-final, semi-final and final.
The knockout brackets are already mapped out. So for example, the winner of Pool E will face the Pool D runner-up in the last 16.
According to World Rugby, the 2023 tournament lasted 50 days while the 2027 edition will be 43 days.
Where are the matches and when?
This is the first men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia since 2003, when the home side were beaten in the final by England.
Once the groups are finalised on Wednesday, World Rugby and the local organising committee will reveal the stadiums that will host games.
The only certainties so far are that the opening match will feature Australia and be at Perth Stadium on Friday, 1 October 2027.
The final will be held at Sydney’s 83 000-seat Accor Stadium on Saturday, 13 November.
The other host cities will be Melbourne, Adelaide, Townsville, Newcastle and Brisbane, which will also stage the 2032 Olympics.
Band 1: South Africa, New Zealand, England, Ireland, France, Argentina
Band 2: Australia, Fiji, Scotland, Italy, Wales, Japan
Band 3: Georgia, Uruguay, Spain, United States, Chile, Tonga
Band 4: Samoa, Portugal, Romania, Hong Kong, Zimbabwe, Canada
How far will the Springboks go at Rugby World Cup 2027?
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