The Lions will play Argentina in Dublin ahead of their tour of Australia in 2025

The Aviva Stadium will host the British and Irish Lions' first appearance in Ireland Photo: Getty Images/Ramsey Cardy

The British and Irish Lions make history ahead of their tour to Australia in 2025 when they take on Argentina in a warm-up match in Dublin.

It will be a landmark match The team's first match in Ireland will take place at the Aviva Stadium on June 20, where both teams will compete for the 1888 Lions Cup, which will mark the first year that British teams have toured the southern hemisphere.

Ben Calveley, Lions chief executive, described the match at the 51,700-capacity stadium as the «perfect send-off» for the Lions ahead of their three-Test tour Down Under, where they will also take part in five Super Rugby matches. franchise, as well as a guest team consisting of players from Australia and New Zealand.

“The British and Irish Lions tours have a rich heritage built up over 130 years of touring, but alongside our rich history, which we are very proud of, it is important that we look at ways to develop our tours,” Calveley said.

“This pre-tour match is one such example and builds on the success of the pre-tour match against Japan at Murrayfield in 2021, which was a resounding success.”

The Lions are coming to Dublin! 🦁🇦🇷

We will face Argentina at the @AVIVAStadium in Dublin on Friday 20 June 2025 before our tour of Australia 🙌

For more information, including how to secure your tickets, visit our website ➡️ https://t.co/XtGXnDtVdO# Lions2025 pic.twitter.com/nZmLcKMiEb

— British and Irish Lions (@lionsofficial ), December 7, 2023

The match against Argentina in the Irish capital, which will be shown live on terrestrial television as well as official broadcaster Sky Sports, will be the first meeting between the two sides in 20 years. The pair would share the victory in a 25-25 draw when they met in Cardiff in 2005.

The Lions first toured Argentina in 1910 and returned to the South American rugby country in 1927 and 1936.
Calvley said: “British and Irish Lions fans form the core part of what makes a great Lions tour. This match at the Aviva Stadium gives fans who may not travel to Australia the opportunity to see the Lions in action, which is very important to us.

“The 1888 Cup match in Dublin will give even more fans the opportunity to be part of the Lions' exciting journey and we look forward to seeing the red sea in Dublin before heading to Australia.»

Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane will host the Lions' first Test against wallaby on Saturday, July 19, ahead of the second Test on Saturday, July 26, at Australia's largest stadium, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which has a capacity of 100,000. The final Test will take place in front of more than 80,000 fans at Accor Stadium in Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday 2 August.