British & Irish Lions Set to Face Wallabies in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney

The 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia will commence in Perth, featuring matches against the Wallabies in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney, according to organizers' announcement on Wednesday.

The Lions will kick off with a tour match against the Western Force at Perth Stadium on June 28, followed by the series-opener against Australia at Brisbane's Lang Park on July 19.

On July 26, they will face the Wallabies at the 100,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground before concluding the tour with the third and final test at Sydney's Stadium Australia a week later.

CEO Phil Waugh stated in a press release, "Rugby Australia is excited to welcome back the Lions after 12 years, along with the numerous Lions fans from the northern hemisphere."

During their tour, the Lions will play against all five of Australia's Super Rugby teams: Queensland Reds in Brisbane (July 2), New South Wales Waratahs in Sydney (July 5), ACT Brumbies in Canberra (July 9), and Melbourne Rebels (July 22) leading up to the second test. Additionally, they will face an invitational team comprising Australian and New Zealand players in Adelaide on July 12.

The Warren Gatland-coached Lions previously toured Australia in 2013, securing a 2-1 victory against Robbie Deans's Wallabies. They also split a 1-1 series against the All Blacks during the 2017 New Zealand tour and suffered a 2-1 loss to the world champions South Africa in 2021.

Ireland's Grand Slam-winning coach, Andy Farrell, is considered the frontrunner to succeed Gatland as the Lions' head coach for the Australia tour.