2027 Rugby World Cup: Australia and New Zealand drawn in Group A with opening game to be played in Perth

Perth is poised to host a blockbuster Rugby World Cup opening game after the Wallabies were drawn into the same pool as bitter rivals New Zealand.

Just months after the All Blacks beat Australia at Optus Stadium, the two rivals are likely set for a second visit to Perth in three years at the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

While the schedule and location of the group games will not be revealed until February ahead of ticket pre-sales, Perth is locked in to host the opening ceremony and game at Optus Stadium on October 1.

And organisers World Rugby will be desperate to begin their biggest World Cup yet with a bang, paving the way for Australia and New Zealand to kick off proceedings in two years time.

Australia will also face world no.17 Chile and a Hong Kong side making their tournament debut in Group A after the draw was conducted on Wednesday night, and would most likely face another rival in either South Africa or England if they reach the last eight.

In addition to the opening ceremony and game, Optus Stadium will host four pool matches and two round-of-16 games.

Speaking to The West Australian back in January, World Rugby chair Brett Robinson confirmed the opening game would feature the Australians and would very likely be the strongest first-up hit-out possible for the Wallabies.

“Ordinarily it’s the pick of the matches of the first round and the pool games,” he said at the time.

On the draw coverage on Stan Sport, both Wallabies captain Harry Wilson and outgoing national team coach Joe Schmidt threw their support behind Perth hosting the All Blacks clash.

“We always love to verse New Zealand and the opening match with World Cup, it’s not much better than that,” Wilson said.

“It’s a trans-Tasman battle, which I think both teams are going to love having,” Schmidt said.

“It would immediately excite players, it would excite all the fans, you’re likely to get an influx coming across the Tasman, you’re going to get great support.

“The Perth locals, they really do know how to get along and support a test match. It would be a great way to kick it off.”

Should Australia qualify top of Group A — which would almost certainly involve beating New Zealand — they will face one of the best third-placed finishers from Group C, E or F in the round of 16.

Should that occur, the Wallabies’ most likely quarter-final opponent would be back-to-back reigning world champions South Africa.

However, if they finish second in their group, they will then face the runner-up in Group E in the round of 16 — which could potentially be former Australia coach Eddie Jones’ Japan, who find themselves in a group with France, USA and Samoa.

Finishing behind the All Blacks in Group A would most likely put Australia on a collision course with England in the quarter-finals.

England’s main opponents in Group F will be Wales and they will also face debutants Zimbabwe who boast Western Force great Ian Prior among their ranks.

The 2027 tournament is the first to feature an expanded number of teams, with the previous 20-team tournament extended to incorporate four extra teams.

It also marks a change in the format, with the usual four groups of five done away with in favour of six four-team groups and expanded knock-out stages.

While previous tournaments have gone straight from the pools to the quarter-finals, 24 teams will instead become 16 immediately after the group stage, with the top two in each group joined by the four third-placed teams with the most points in the single game knockout stage.

Rugby World Cup groups

Group A: New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong

Group B: South Africa, Italy, Georgia, Romania

Group C: Argentina, Fiji, Spain, Canada

Group D: Ireland, Scotland, Uruguay, Portugal

Group E: France, Japan, USA, Samoa

Group F: England, Wales, Tonga, Zimbabwe