The British and Irish Lions will tour Australia this year for the first time since 2013.
The cream of the rugby union crop from the United Kingdom and Ireland will play matches across six cities as they look to repeat their victorious tour of 12 years ago.
This will be the first Lions tour with full crowds of spectators since 2017, with the COVID-19 pandemic having disrupted their visit to South Africa back in 2021. That ended in a 2-1 series loss for the tourists, their fourth defeat in six tours in the 21st century.
Coach Andy Farrell announced his squad on May 8 in front of more than 2,000 fans at London's O2 Arena. They will now prepare for a warm-up match with Argentina in Dublin at the end of the month before making the long journey Down Under.
MORE: How this year's Six Nations played out
British and Irish Lions 2025: Full squad announcement
The Lions tour squad for 2025 was announced on May 8. A total of 38 players will travel to Australia for training and matches.
Maro Itoje, who was made England captain ahead of this year's Six Nations, will skipper the side. He is the first Englishman to be given that responsibility since Martin Johnson in 2001.
Red suits you, captain 🔴🦁@maroitoje #Lions2025 #WeGoBeyond pic.twitter.com/vHl6HytyOs
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) May 8, 2025
British and Irish Lions squad 2025
*Age correct as of squad announcement on May 8, 2025
| Player | Age | National team | Previous Lions tours |
| FORWARDS | |||
| Tadhg Beirne | 33 | Ireland | 2021 |
| Ollie Chessum | 24 | England | — |
| Jack Conan | 32 | Ireland | 2021 |
| Luke Cowan-Dickie | 31 | England | 2021 |
| Scott Cummings | 28 | Scotland | — |
| Tom Curry | 26 | England | 2021 |
| Ben Earl | 27 | England | — |
| Zander Fagerson | 29 | Scotland | 2021 |
| Tadhg Furlong | 32 | Ireland | 2017, 2021 |
| Ellis Genge | 30 | England | 2017 |
| Maro Itoje (captain) | 30 | England | 2017, 2021 |
| Ronan Kelleher | 27 | Ireland | 2021 |
| Joe McCarthy | 24 | Ireland | — |
| Jac Morgan | 25 | Wales | — |
| Henry Pollock | 20 | England | — |
| Andrew Porter | 29 | Ireland | 2021 |
| James Ryan | 28 | Ireland | — |
| Pierre Schoeman | 31 | Scotland | — |
| Dan Sheehan | 26 | Ireland | — |
| Will Stuart | 28 | England | — |
| Josh van der Flier | 32 | Ireland | — |
| BACKS | |||
| Bundee Aki | 35 | Ireland | 2021 |
| Elliot Daly | 32 | England | 2017, 2021 |
| Tommy Freeman | 24 | England | — |
| Jamison Gibson-Park | 33 | Ireland | — |
| Mack Hansen | 27 | Ireland | — |
| Huw Jones | 31 | Scotland | — |
| Hugo Keenan | 28 | Ireland | — |
| Blair Kinghorn | 28 | Scotland | — |
| James Lowe | 32 | Ireland | — |
| Alex Mitchell | 27 | England | — |
| Garry Ringrose | 30 | Ireland | — |
| Finn Russell | 32 | Scotland | 2021 |
| Fin Smith | 22 | England | — |
| Marcus Smith | 26 | England | 2021 |
| Sione Tuipulotu | 28 | Scotland | — |
| Duhan van der Merwe | 29 | Scotland | 2021 |
| Tomos Williams | 30 | Wales | — |
Who is the 2025 British and Irish Lions coach?
The Lions coach for this year is Andy Farrell. Ireland coach since 2019, Farrell was an assistant to Warren Gatland when the Lions toured Australia back in 2013, and he was part of the coaching staff for the New Zealand tour four years later.
His record in charge of Ireland is formidable, with 39 wins and only nine defeats from 48 matches. He led them to Six Nations glory in 2023 and 2024 and was named World Rugby Coach of the Year two years ago.
British and Irish Lions 2025 match schedule
The Lions will play 10 matches in their 2025 tour: there will be three Tests and six Pre-Tests across six cities in Australia, after a warm-up match against Argentina in Dublin.
The opening tour game in Perth is on June 28, with the final Test match taking place in Sydney on August 2.
| Date | Match | Location | KO time (AEST) | KO time (BST) |
| June 20 | The Lions vs. Argentina | Aviva Stadium, Dublin | 7 a.m. | 8 p.m. |
| June 28 | Western Force vs. The Lions | Optus Stadium, Perth | 5:45 p.m. | 10:45 a.m. |
| July 2 | Queensland Reds vs. The Lions | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | 7:45 p.m. | 10:45 a.m. |
| July 5 | NSW Waratahs vs. The Lions | Allianz Stadium, Sydney | 7:45 p.m. | 10:45 a.m. |
| July 9 | ACT Brumbies vs. The Lions | GIO Stadium, Canberra | 7:45 p.m. | 10:45 a.m. |
| July 12 | Invitational AU & NZ vs. The Lions | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | 7:15 p.m. | 10:15 p.m. |
| July 19 | Wallabies vs. The Lions | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | 7:45 p.m. | 10:45 a.m. |
| July 22 | First Nations & Pasifika XV vs. The Lions | Marvel Stadium, Melbourne | 7:45 p.m. | 10:45 a.m. |
| July 26 | Wallabies vs. The Lions | MCG, Melbourne | 7:45 p.m. | 10:45 a.m. |
| Aug. 2 | Wallabies vs. The Lions | Accor Stadium, Sydney | 7:45 p.m. | 10:45 a.m. |
How to watch British and Irish Lions tour 2025
UK:
Every game of the tour will be broadcast exclusively live on Sky Sports for UK viewers.
Fans can also stream the action from Sky Sports via Sky Go or NOW TV.
Australia:
Stan Sport is the home of the Lions tour for viewers in Australia.