Ireland to face Scotland, Uruguay and Portugal in 2027 Rugby World Cup pool

by · TheJournal.ie

IRELAND WILL FACE Scotland, Uruguay and Portugal in Pool D at the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

The pool draw was made in Sydney this morning.

The pool draw for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

The 2027 tournament has been expanded from 20 teams to 24, and today’s draw saw those 24 teams drawn into six pools of four, labelled A to F.

The top two sides from each pool will progress to a knockout round of 16, as will the four best third-placed teams.

Ireland, currently ranked fourth in the world, were in Band 1 for today’s draw, alongside South Africa, New Zealand, England, France and Argentina.

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The path to the 2027 World Cup final.

If all six teams from Band 1 finish top of their respective pools, the winners of Pool E and Pool F cannot face a fellow Band 1 team until the semi-final stage.

Should Ireland top their pool, Andy Farrell’s team would face the best third-placed team from Pool B/E/F, leading to a potential quarter-final against Argentina, should the Pumas top Pool C and then win a round of 16 game.

If Ireland were to finish second in their pool, they would be looking at a round of 16 tie against the Pool E winners – likely France. 

The 2027 tournament will see Ireland and Scotland go head-to-head at a third successive World Cup.

Ireland faced Portugal in a Test game for the first time this summer, winning 106-7 in Lisbon. Portugal are currently ranked 20th in the world.

Uruguay, ranked 14th, have never played Ireland at Test level.

The match schedule and dates will be confirmed by World Rugby on Tuesday, 3 February 2026. 

  • Pool A: New Zealand, Chile, Australia, Hong Kong China
  • 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

Written by Ciarán Kennedy and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.