ASHES VENUES
The three venues selected for this autumn’s Ashes Test combines Rugby League and Ashes rich heritage of Wembley and Headingley with Everton Football Club’s exciting and new state-of-the-art home on Liverpool’s waterfront.
- Test 1: England v Australia, Wembley Stadium, London, Saturday 25 October (2:30pm).
- Test 2: England v Australia, Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, Saturday 1 November (2:30pm).
- Test 3: England v Australia, AMT Headingley Stadium, Leeds, Saturday 8 November (2:30pm).
Wembley Stadium
The home of the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final since 1929, Wembley has staged unforgettable international fixtures, including three Ashes Tests – all resulting in Great Britain wins.
The first an opening Test victory in 1973 before a return 17 years later produced a spine-tingling atmosphere and a home performance to match as Ellery Hanley inspired a 19-12 Great Britain victory in front of a 54,000.
It was a similar story four years later with Hanley as coach, as despite an early dismissal of Shaun Edwards, a brilliant individual try from Jonathan Davies followed by a heroic defensive performance secured an 8-4 victory.
Australia have happier memories of two World Cup Finals at Wembley – beating Great Britain in 1992 and England in 1995 – whilst England suffered heartbreak when losing to a late Shaun Johnson try in the 2013 World Cup semi-final.
hill dickinson Stadium
Everton Football Club’s link to Rugby League stretches back to the original 1908-09 Kangaroo tour, with Australian touring teams having played a total of four matches at Goodison Park between then and 1921. However, the 2025 Kangaroos will make history by playing an Ashes fixture at the new Everton Stadium.
Located on the banks of the River Mersey in north Liverpool, Everton Stadium will become the Premier League Club’s new home from the 2025 season.
The 52,888-capacity stadium, which will be a new city centre destination both on matchdays and non-matchdays, can cater for a host of major events and concerts as well as the demands of Premier League, European and International football. The stadium has already been confirmed as one of eight host venues to stage the EURO 2028 Football Championships.
An accompanying large plaza at the site’s entrance can also support up to 17,000 people in an outdoor space, for major events or a fan plaza.
AMT Headingley Stadium
This will be the 13th Ashes Rugby League Test to be played at Headingley, but the first for 43 years. The first nine resulted in home wins – stretching from 1921 to 1967 – but the Kangaroos have won the last three, most recently to complete a 3-0 series whitewash in 1982.
However, the unique nature of Headingley means the stadium’s Ashes history includes 26 cricket Tests stretching back even further to 1899. England’s win in 2023, levelled the record at nine wins each and eight draws.
England’s nine wins include two of the most famous and unlikely Tests of all time in 1981 and 2019. Great Australian performances includes Don Bradman’s unbeaten 334 in 1930.
Both sides of AMT Headingley Stadium have been extensively developed in recent years which has seen the arena host series-clinching England wins in the last two autumns – against Tonga in 2023 and Samoa in 2024.
