England will face Tonga in the opening game of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Steve Borthwick’s side will face the Pacific Island outfit on Oct. 2 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
Hosts Australia will kick the tournament off against Hong Kong China — who are playing in their first World Cup — in Perth on Oct. 1.
Tournament organisers have decided not to pit Australia against trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in the opening game.
England will face Zimbabwe at the Adelaide Oval in their second game on Oct. 8 before closing out pool play against Wales at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Oct. 16.
Other intriguing clashes in the group stage include Australia vs. New Zealand on Oct. 9, Ireland vs. Scotland on Oct. 10.
Should England top their group, they would go on to play the second placed team in Pool B (South Africa, Italy, Romania and Georgia) in the round of 16 in Perth.
The quarterfinal could see England face Australia if they were to finish second in Pool A and win their round-of-16 clash.
