The reigning world champions, Australia, look set to tour England for the first time in over 20 years in 2025 after dramatic late talks were held about switching the location of the next Ashes series.
England and Australia have not competed in a traditional three-match Ashes series since 2003. That wait looked set to end with a trip away for England next year, after confirmation last year that Shaun Wane’s side would tour Australia and go head-to-head against the Kangaroos. However, the series now looks set to be played in England instead.
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Senior Australian officials reached out to the Rugby Football League about the prospect of reviving a traditional Kangaroos tour in 2025 and talks now look set to reach a positive conclusion. It means that the three-Test series will be held in England, with the sport in this country set for a significant financial boost.
The Ashes has been staged on a regular basis since the first series between Great Britain and Australia in 1908. League officials did consider reviving the Lions brand for next year’s series but it will be England, not Great Britain, who will face the Kangaroos in 2025.
The Guardian has been told that one of the three Tests will take place in London, with officials keen to cash in on what they hope will be a series that generates real momentum given the lengthy gap since the last time an Ashes series was staged. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley are early frontrunners for the London Test.
That would then mean one Test in Yorkshire and another in Lancashire, with organisers likely to look beyond its traditional club venues and eye up major venues to welcome the touring Kangaroos in 2025.
Officials are hoping for a swift resolution to talks so that an announcement can be made as quickly as possible, during a time when the international game appears to be enjoying a rare boom after years out of the spotlight.
When approached for comment, Rugby League Commercial said: “RL Commercial can confirm initial conversations have been held with the ARLC about the possibility of an historic Ashes series being played in England in 2025.
“We are excited by the possibility of bringing the Kangaroos to these shores for a three-match series for the first time in over 20 years, and we are starting work on the feasibility of such a tour.”
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