Rugby Australia and The British & Irish Lions have today revealed the full match list for one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious rugby events, the 2025 Lions Tour.
The Tour will see the Lions play nine games in Australia, with three Tests against the Wallabies and six Tour games across the country, including a game against a guest team of Australian and New Zealand players in Adelaide.
The British & Irish Lions combine the best players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and tour Australia, New Zealand or South Africa every four years, meaning the Lions only visit Australia every 12 years.
The traveling festival is expected to attract 40,000 international visitors to Australia, who will tour the country and generate a strong financial bottom line for all participating cities, states and territories.
The Lions Tour will be the first of Rugby’s major events to visit Australia as part of Rugby’s golden decade; The 2025 Lions Tour will be followed by major rugby events taking place in Australia, including the 2027 Rugby World Cup for men, the 2029 Rugby World Cup for women and Rugby Sevens at the Brisbane Olympic Games in 2032.
Today’s announcement took place in Brisbane, exactly two years before the first Test between the Wallabies and Lions at Suncorp Stadium in the Queensland capital.
The second Test will be at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on July 26 and the final Test match will take place at Accor Stadium in Sydney on August 2.
The Tour kicks off in Australia on June 28 in Perth, with the Western Force welcoming the visitors at Optus Stadium, before the Lions travel to the East Coast to take on the Reds at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on July 2.
The tourists head south the following weekend with clashes against the Waratahs at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium on July 5 and the ACT Brumbies at Canberra’s GIO Stadium on July 9.
Adelaide Oval will host the last Tour game before the first Test, an all-star showdown between the Lions and a combined Australia-New Zealand invitational team on July 12 in what is shaping up to be a “fourth Test” of sorts at the Tour.
The Lions will take on the Melbourne Rebels at Marvel Stadium between the first two Tests on July 22.
Australia shares a long history with the Lions, as Australia’s first rugby union Test match took place against a team from the British Isles at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1899 on the Lions’ first tour to Australia – the home team won their first game, but lost the series to the visitors.
The Lions last toured Australia in 2013, with the tourists winning the Test Series 2-1, while the ACT Brumbies famously claimed a victory in the nation’s capital.
Twelve years earlier, the Wallabies scored a famous 2-1 Series victory that came from behind with a dramatic 29-23 triumph in the decider. The full list of Tour 2025 matches is as follows:
Saturday June 28: Lions vs Western Force, Optus Stadium, Perth
Wednesday July 2: Lions vs Queensland Reds, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Saturday July 5: Lions vs New South Wales Waratahs, Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Wednesday July 9: Lions vs ACT Brumbies, GIO Stadium, Canberra
Saturday July 12: Lions vs Invitational AU & NZ XV, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Saturday July 19: Lions v Wallabies (First Test), Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Tuesday July 22: Lions v Melbourne Rebels, Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Saturday July 26: Lions v Wallabies (Second Test), Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Saturday 2 August: Lions v Wallabies (Third Test), Accor Stadium, Sydney
To coincide with the announcement of Lions Tour matches, Rugby Australia has launched a new range of Wallabies First membership products, including a membership that guarantees access to purchase Tour games, as well as advanced ticketing opportunities. by Lions Test.
Travel packages for The British & Irish Lions Tour in Australia in 2025 are now on sale with Wallabies Travel. Wallabies Travel is the Official Travel Partner of Rugby Australia. Visit wallabiestravel.com.au for more information.
Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh:
“The British & Irish Lions Tour is one of the great sporting festivals, it is a real milestone in Australian and world sport. Rugby Australia looks forward to welcoming the Lions for the first time in 12 years, as well as the tens of thousands of Lions fans from the northern hemisphere. It’s an exciting gathering of matches across the country with the Lions taking on our Super Rugby franchises, three massive test matches and a marquee match in Adelaide with a combined Australian and New Zealand guest team.”
Ben Calveley, CEO of The British & Irish Lions:
“We are delighted to announce the Tour schedule today as we look ahead to what will be one of the most anticipated Series in history. I want to take the opportunity to thank Rugby Australia for the strong level of collaboration in planning this tour and we look forward to continuing to work with them over the next two years. I would also like to thank Premiership Rugby and the United Rugby Championship, whose cooperation has resulted in the longest lead-up period for a tour in recent history, giving us the best possible chance of a Series win. We look forward to continuing to work with our hosts and our partners to create one of the best tours ever.
“As we begin the countdown to Australia in 2025, The British & Irish Lions brand and organization have never been stronger with a global fan base of some 14 million people, a significant following and a strong level of engagement. through our various digital platforms, and a wide range of business partners made up of some of the most important brands and organizations in the world. Our ambition is to continue to build on this position and make this upcoming tour the best Lions tour yet, positioning it as the premier global sporting event of 2025.”
Queensland Minister for Tourism and Sport, Stirling Hinchcliffe:
“The 2025 British and Irish Lions Tour is one of the biggest events on the world rugby calendar and comes close to Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, one of the best rectangular stadiums in the world. Securing the first test for Queensland is a huge win for the sport and the economy of our visitors, including accommodation, hospitality and tourism operators and good jobs. The British and Irish Lions Tour joins the Rugby World Cup on the green and gold Queensland track of the premier international sport for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.” The British & Irish Lions Tour in 2025 is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its major events and tourism agency, Destination NSW.
New South Wales Minister for Labor and Tourism, John Graham:
“Securing the important and potentially decisive third match of the British and Irish Lions Test Series is a fantastic coup for Sydney and definitely an event for home and away to mark on the calendar. Sydney is the birthplace of Australian rugby union and the Accor Stadium, as the largest rectangular venue in the country, will be the perfect setting for what is shaping up to be the biggest game of the Series against old foe Harbor City.”
South Australian Minister for Sport Katrine Hildyard:
“The Lions’ visit to Adelaide will be momentous for rugby in South Australia and for our wider community, building on last year’s Test Match against the Springboks at Adelaide Oval. We can’t wait to welcome the thousands of Lions fans who travel to SA to watch their team go head-to-head against the invited Australia-New Zealand XV in the ‘fourth Test’. As well as enjoying the rugby, fans will also have the chance to enjoy the premium food, wine and experiences the state has to offer. Boys and girls who play rugby will be inspired by some of the best players in the world to stay active and pursue their sporting dreams.”
Western Australia Minister of Tourism Rita Saffioti:
“The WA Government is proud to host the opening match of this now 124-year-old touring tradition, which will bring thousands of fans to the award-winning Optus Stadium in 2025. This is another feather in the cap for Western Australia as a sporting destination and it comes just a day after it was announced that Perth would be one of eight cities worldwide to host HSBC SVNS over the next two years. The British & Irish Lions rugby game will give visitors another great reason to come to Western Australia as we continue to build our relationship with the UK as a key away market through this opening game of the Tour. It’s great to add this match to our ever-growing calendar of major events and encourage visitors to experience WA’s wonderful natural experiences, premium hospitality offerings and world-class rugby all at the same time.”
ACT Sports Minister Yvette Barry:
“This is great news and we look forward to welcoming the British & Irish Lions to Canberra for their Australian tour in 2025. I have no doubt that the Canberra community will be eager to see the ACT Brumbies repeat their 2013 victory over tourists in GIO. Stadium in Canberra”.
Brisbane Mayor Adrian Schrinner:
“Australian rugby fans have waited 12 years for this series to return to their home soil and with the blockbuster opener in Brisbane, they are in luck. Local Brisbane businesses are also set to win, with hotels, restaurants and tour operators all benefiting from the 30,000 fans expected to travel from the northern hemisphere, a key international market for the city. Securing not one but two coveted matches cements Brisbane’s growing reputation as Australia’s sporting capital in the run-up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
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