Lions Tour 2025/26

The British & Irish Lions is a touring rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The entity was formally established in 1949 by the creation of a Tours Committee by the four Home Unions, although the first tour occurred in 1888 as a private commercial venture organized by Alfred Shaw and Arthur Shrewsbury. The team tours the Southern Hemisphere every four years, rotating between Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. A typical tour consists of approximately 10 matches over six weeks, including a best-of-three Test series against the host nation and several matches against provincial, regional, or invitational sides.

In 2025, the Lions toured Australia, playing Super Rugby Pacific teams (Western Force, Queensland Reds, NSW Waratahs, ACT Brumbies) and the First Nations & Pasifika XV, an invitational side formed by Rugby Australia to replace the disbanded Melbourne Rebels. The Lions won the 2025 Test series against Australia 2–1. The highest attendance for a Lions Test was 90,307 at the 2025 Melbourne Cricket Ground. The squad size has varied, typically 42 players in recent decades, reduced to 38 for the 2025 tour.

Historically, the most successful captain is Willie John McBride, who led the team to an undefeated tour in South Africa in 1974. He also holds the record for most Lions caps (17). Alun Wyn Jones holds the record for most Test caps (12). The 1971 tour of New Zealand remains the only time the Lions have won a Test series there. The 2017 tour of New Zealand ended in a 1–1 draw, decided by a last-minute penalty. The Lions differ from other international competitions as a unique joint representative team rather than a national side or a club league.