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.
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
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)
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
Champions (1987, 2011, 2015)
- Who they have played in past World Cup group stages
7 – 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)
Never drawn against in a pool: Australia
Never played before: Chile, Hong Kong China, Spain, Zimbabwe
England
10
- Method of qualification
Semi-finals at the 2023 Rugby World Cup
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)
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
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)
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
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)
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
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)
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
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)
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
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 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
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)
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
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)
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
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)
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
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)
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
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)
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
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)
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
Group Stages (1999)
- Who they have played in past World Cup group stages
1 – South Africa (1999), Uruguay (1999), Scotland (1999)
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
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)
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
Group Stages (2023)
- Who they have played in past World Cup group stages
1 – England (2023), Japan (2023), Samoa (2023), Argentina (2023)
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
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), Canada (1987, 2003, 2011)
2 – 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)
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
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)
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
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)
Never played before: Argentina, England
Romania
- Appearances at World Cups
Nine
- Method of qualification
Rugby European Championship third place
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)
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
N/A
- Who they have played in past World Cup group stages
N/A
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
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)
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
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)
Never drawn against in a pool: Argentina, Chile, England, Georgia, Hong Kong China, Portugal, Samoa, Scotland, Spain, Uruguay. USA
Never played before: Zimbabwe
