The British & Irish Lions will play an historic game against a First Nations & Pasifika XV at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on Tuesday, July 22.
The latest addition to the 2025 Tour represents the very first time a First Nations & Pasifika team has been assembled.
To celebrate this announcement, the Lions are offering fans the chance to win a pair of tickets to this fixture. Sign up to enter here.
The Lions are also playing all four Super Rugby Pacific clubs throughout the Qatar Airways British & Irish Lions Men’s Tour.
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And it can also be revealed that former All Blacks coach Ian Foster will lead the AUNZ Invitational XV against Andy Farrell’s Lions in Adelaide – with the Tour culminating in the Three Test Series against Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies.
“It is fantastic to confirm the match schedule for the 2025 Tour with the added fixture against a First Nations & Pasifika XV at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium - a game that everyone at the Lions is hugely excited about. Alongside Rugby Australia we are set to welcome more than half a million fans at games in 2025 for what will be an amazing spectacle in one of the greatest sporting countries in the world”, said Ben Calveley, CEO of The British & Irish Lions.
The opening Test between the Wallabies and the Lions at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium takes place on July 19, where the initial ticket allocation was sold in just 60 minutes last year.
Melbourne’s MCG will host the second Test where supporters will have the opportunity to be part of the largest ever crowd for a Lions Test, with the iconic venue capable of hosting more than 100,000 spectators, which would surpass the current Lions Test record attendance of 84,188 at Accor Stadium in 2001.
Sydney’s Accor Stadium is set to be the setting for another potential decider between the two sides, with both previous Series going down to the wire, with the Wallabies winning 2-1 in 2001, before the Lions squared the ledger in 2013.
"With just 100 days to go until the first match, it’s certainly not far away and whether you’re a lifelong Rugby supporter, a general sports fan or someone who loves live events, this Tour is something you must be a part of. We’re also thrilled to be able to confirm the First Nations & Pasifika XV match in Melbourne, which will be a great celebration of those who continue to contribute enormously to the Australian Rugby community,” added Phil Waugh CEO of Rugby Australia CEO.
