Australia’s Kangaroos to Play Three-Test Series in England in 2025

The reigning world champions, Australia, are scheduled to undertake a three-Test tour of England in 2025. This marks the first occasion an Ashes series will be contested in over two decades, with Australia having previously secured all three Tests in the most recent Ashes series against Great Britain in 2003. RL Commercial, which serves as the commercial division of the Rugby Football League, has confirmed that “initial conversations” have occurred with the Australian Rugby League Commission regarding the relocation of the series to England. This reconfigured Test series was originally slated to be hosted in Australia, following its announcement in 2023 as part of modifications to the international rugby league calendar; however, this arrangement is now expected to be altered. The Kangaroos will be making their first trip to participate in an Ashes series since 2003. Historically, this competition involved Australia competing against Great Britain. A tour had been scheduled for 2020, preceding the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, but it was called off due to the Covid-19 pandemic. England’s last encounter with Australia in a home international match was eight years ago, during the 2016 Four Nations tournament, where the visiting Kangaroos defeated them 36-18 at the London Stadium. A statement from RL Commercial conveyed: “We are excited by the possibility of bringing the Kangaroos to these shores for a three-match series for the first time in more than 20 years, and we are starting work on the feasibility of such a tour.” The statement continued: “We believe this would be welcomed by our England team, by British Rugby League supporters, by the British sporting public, and by the current generation of Australia players who would relish the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of so many great players of the past.” The initial Ashes series was structured as a best-of-three contest contested between Australia and Great Britain. Following the inaugural series in 1908, a cumulative total of 39 matches took place between these two teams. During the most recent complete Ashes series, which involved an England or Great Britain team in 2003, the Kangaroos achieved a three-game whitewash victory. These discussions arise in the wake of adjustments made to the international rugby league calendar in 2023, prompted by France’s withdrawal from hosting the 2026 Rugby League World Cup due to its inability to secure guaranteed support from local and national government bodies. Australia, the victor of the most recent World Cup held in England in 2022, is now slated to host the men’s, women’s, and wheelchair World Cups in October and November 2026, with additional matches scheduled to be played in Papua New Guinea.