Cricket Australia has unveiled the schedule for the 2025/26 Ashes series against England, including the highly anticipated addition of a Day-Night Test during the five-match series next Australian summer.
The series will kick off in Perth, marking the first time in 43 years that the city will host an Ashes Test. The opening match will take place from November 21-25, 2025, at Perth Stadium, a venue that has never hosted a Test match between England and Australia. The second Test will be a Day-Night fixture at The Gabba in Brisbane, held from December 4-8, 2025. This match will be played under lights with a pink ball. The action then moves to Adelaide, where the third Test will be played from December 17-21. The traditional Boxing Day Test will be held at the MCG, starting December 26, followed by the fifth and final Test at the SCG from January 4-8, 2026.
The 2025/26 series will also see Perth hosting its first-ever Ashes opener, as the city was initially slated to host the fifth Test of the 2020-21 series before COVID-19 restrictions forced a change in venue to Hobart’s Bellerive Oval.
2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men’s Ashes Series Schedule:
Test | Venue | Dates |
---|---|---|
1st Test | Perth Stadium | November 21-25, 2025 |
2nd Test | The Gabba | December 4-8, 2025 |
3rd Test | Adelaide Oval | December 17-21, 2025 |
4th Test | MCG | December 26-30, 2025 |
5th Test | SCG | January 4-8, 2026 |
This will be the first Ashes series in over 40 years that doesn’t start at The Gabba, as Perth becomes the eighth Australian venue to host an Ashes Test. The last time the series began outside Brisbane was in the 1982-83 Ashes.
Australia has dominated in Perth, winning the last eight Ashes Tests at the venue. The closest result for England was in 2013-14, when they lost by 150 runs. England has not won a Test in Australia since their victory at the SCG in 2011, with 13 losses and two draws since then. In contrast, Australia has had six wins and four draws in England during the same period.
Having held onto the Ashes since their 2017-18 series victory, Australia will look to defend their prized trophy once again in 2025-26.
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