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, as confirmed by organizers on Wednesday.

The Lions' journey begins with a tour match against 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 iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, which can accommodate 100,000 spectators, before concluding the tour with the third and final test at Sydney's Stadium Australia a week later.

In a statement, CEO Phil Waugh expressed Rugby Australia's excitement in welcoming back the Lions after a 12-year absence, along with the thousands of Lions fans from the northern hemisphere.

Throughout the tour, the Lions will play against all five of Australia's Super Rugby teams, taking on the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on July 2, the New South Wales Waratahs in Sydney on July 5, the ACT Brumbies in Canberra on July 9, and the Melbourne Rebels on July 22, leading up to the second test.

Additionally, they will face an invitational side consisting of Australian and New Zealand players in Adelaide on July 12.

The Warren Gatland-coached Lions last toured Australia in 2013, where they secured a 2-1 victory against Robbie Deans's Wallabies.

Subsequently, they split a 1-1 series against the All Blacks during the 2017 New Zealand tour and suffered a 2-1 defeat 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.