The current generation of Red Roses is aiming to emulate the England Rugby World Cup-winning teams of 1994 and 2014
England's path to a possible home Rugby World Cup triumph has been mapped out with the hosts placed in a pool alongside Australia, USA, and Samoa for next summer's tournament.
The Red Roses, runaway leaders at the top of the world rankings and on a 20-match winning streak, are clear favourites to go one better than they did in New Zealand in 2022.
If the top-seeded team wins each pool, England could only meet world number twos Canada or defending champions New Zealand in the final.
Ireland, who claimed a famous upset win over New Zealand in WXV earlier this month, are grouped with the Black Ferns, Japan and Spain after failing to qualify for the previous tournament.
England face a potential quarter-final against the runners-up from the pool containing Scotland and Wales – drawn together for the second straight tournament – Canada and Fiji.
France are England’s likeliest last-four opponents and they, who along with the Red Roses, Canada and New Zealand were top seeds, are in a group with Italy, South Africa and Brazil.
The draw was conducted on BBC's The One Show by England's 2014 World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi.
The tournament begins on Friday 22 August with England in action at Sunderland's Stadium of Light and culminates in the final at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium on 27 September.
Pool A: England, Australia, USA, Samoa
Pool B: Canada, Scotland, Wales, Fiji
Pool C: New Zealand, Ireland, Japan, Spain
Pool D: France, Italy, South Africa, Brazil
England's hopes were dashed in front of a raucous home crowd at Eden Park in 2022, in a tournament that was delayed a year by Covid
In 2010, the only previous occasion on which England has hosted the tournament, the final was held across the road from Allianz Stadium at the Stoop.
It was a familiar result. New Zealand beat England – a result that has concluded five of the past six Rugby World Cups.
England went into the last World Cup as world number ones and on a record-breaking run of Test wins, but the Black Ferns overhauled the visitors' 14-point lead after England wing Lydia Thompson had been sent off.
Former All Blacks coach John Mitchell replaced Simon Middleton in the wake of the defeat and has overseen a more expansive, ambitious style.
After England beat Canada to retain the WXV title earlier this month, Mitchell warned that despite his team's apparent dominance, they could take nothing for granted as more unions invest in their women's teams.
"The gap is closing in terms of the way people are playing and being coached," Mitchell said.
"All the other teams have really good coaching groups, they are all getting better. For us our challenge is to get better.
"It is also about how special it is going to be to play a World Cup at home, something that we can impact on other people for the rest of our lives."
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The tournament has been expanded from the 12 teams that took part in 2022, with 16 sides participating including debutants Brazil.
The Rugby Football Union has set itself the target of filling Twickenham for the final, a feat that would shatter the current record attendance of a women's rugby union match – the 58,498 who attended the Red Roses' Six Nations-sealing victory over France in April 2023.
The tournament claims to be the most-accessible women's Rugby World Cup ever, with matches staged at eight venues across England.
The Amex Stadium, home of Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion, Exeter Chiefs' Sandy Park, Sale Sharks' Salford Community Stadium, Franklin's Gardens in Northampton and the LNER Community Stadium in York will host pool matches.
The quarter-final action will be staged at Sandy Park and Bristol's Ashton Gate, with the semi-finals at the latter and the final at Twickenham.
After an initial presale in September, tickets to all matches go on sale on 5 November.
Select matches for next year's tournament will be shown on the BBC's linear channels, while every game will be available to watch live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.
BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra will also broadcast commentary on the tournament, which begins on 22 August.
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