Wednesday 19 July 2023 5:40 am | Updated: Tuesday 18 July 2023 9:09 pm

British and Irish Lions schedule: 2025 tour to Australia confirmed

Deputy Sports Editor - Morning Wire

The British and Irish Lions will play nine matches on their tour to Australia, including a fixture against an combined Australia-New Zealand side. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

The British and Irish Lions will play nine matches on their tour to Australia, including a fixture against a combined Australia-New Zealand side.

The iconic touring side – made up of rugby players from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (who play as the island of Ireland) – will face the five domestic super Rugby sides as well as the combined invitational team and three Tests against Australia.

The last tour, to South Africa in 2021, was played behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The tour

The Lions will start their Tour down under against Western Force in Perth before travelling to Brisbane to play the Queensland Reds.

Thereafter they’ll play the Waratahs in Sydney, Brumbies in the capital Canberra and the combined Australia-New Zealand in Adelaide.

The first test will see the tourists take on the Wallabies in Brisbane before a midweek game against the Melbourne Rebels.

The second Test will be at the 100,000 seater Melbourne Cricket Ground and the tour will conclude in Sydney.

It is unknown as to whether the Lions will play a pre or post-tour fixture.

This comes as the British and Irish Lions announced a new sponsorship deal with London-headquartered insurance group Howden.

Ben Calveley, chief executive of The British & Irish Lions, commented: “As we begin the countdown to Australia in 2025, The British & Irish Lions brand and organisation has never been stronger with a global fan base of some 14 million people, a significant following and strong level of engagement through our various digital platforms, and a wide range of commercial partners comprised of some of the biggest brands and organisations in the world.

“Our ambition is to further build upon this position and make this upcoming tour the greatest Lions tour ever, positioning it as the major global sporting event of 2025.”