The Ashes 2025–26: Full Schedule, Venues & Probable Squads | Australia vs England

The Ashes 2025–26: A Historic Rivalry Returns to Australia The cricketing world is gearing up for one of its most iconic battles — The Ashes — as Australia and England face off once again. The 2025–26 series will begin on November 21 at Perth Stadium, marking a

BY: SAKET SAHANI

UPDATED: Wednesday, August 13, 2025

The Ashes 2025–26: A Historic Rivalry Returns to Australia

The cricketing world is gearing up for one of its most iconic battles — The Ashes — as Australia and England face off once again. The 2025–26 series will begin on November 21 at Perth Stadium, marking a big change from tradition. For over a decade, the first Test of an Ashes series in Australia was played at The Gabba, Brisbane, but this time, Perth gets the honor of hosting the opener, with Brisbane taking the second Test.

Why This Series Matters

The Ashes isn’t just another cricket series — it’s a rivalry that goes back more than a century. Whenever these two teams meet, both bring their strongest squads, knowing national pride is at stake.

This edition is extra important because it’s part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27 cycle. That means every match will affect the teams’ chances of reaching the WTC final, so there’s no room for experiments.

Australia’s Approach

Australia has already shown how seriously they’re taking it — resting key players from the T20I series right before the Ashes to avoid injuries. With home advantage and their history of dominating visiting sides, they will aim for nothing less than a series win.

England’s Challenge

England comes in with confidence from the last Ashes in 2023, where they held Australia to a 2–2 draw at home — a huge improvement from their 0–4 loss in the 2021–22 series in Australia. But winning an Ashes series in Australia is one of cricket’s toughest tasks, and history shows the home side often dominates.

What’s at Stake

Historic rivalry with deep emotional value for both nations.
Crucial WTC points that could decide a place in the final.
The chance to rewrite recent history — will England finally break Australia’s home dominance, or will the Aussies crush the visitors again?

The stage is set. The players are preparing. And from November 21, the cricket world will be watching.

Ashes 2025–26: Full Schedule & Venues

The iconic Ashes series is back — and this time, England will be travelling to Australia for five high-intensity Test matches. The battle begins on November 21, 2025, in Perth, breaking the tradition of starting at The Gabba.

England will also face an added challenge — the second Test at The Gabba on December 4 will be a day/night pink-ball encounter, a format in which they’ve historically struggled. The tour ends at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 4, 2026. Playing a full Ashes series in Australia has always been a daunting task for England, and this year will be no different.

Date	Test No.	Match	Time (IST)	Venue & City
Fri, 21 Nov 2025	1st Test	Australia vs England	8:00 AM	Perth Stadium, Perth
Thu, 04 Dec 2025	2nd Test (D/N)	Australia vs England	10:00 AM	The Gabba, Brisbane
Wed, 17 Dec 2025	3rd Test	Australia vs England	5:30 AM	Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Fri, 26 Dec 2025	4th Test	Australia vs England	5:00 AM	Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Sun, 04 Jan 2026	5th Test	Australia vs England	5:00 AM	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

A total of five matches will be played in The Ashes 2025-26, so five venues have been assigned to the series. Unlike every time, this year, the series will start at the Perth Stadium in Perth. Then the second match will be at The Gabba, Brisbane, followed by the third Test at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide. The fourth and the fifth matches will be at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, and the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, respectively.

Ashes 2025–26: Probable Squads

The official squads for Australia and England are expected to be announced later in 2025, but injury concerns are already making headlines. England captain Ben Stokes, all-rounder Chris Woakes, and several others picked up knocks during their Test series against India, raising questions about their fitness before this crucial tour.

With the series forming part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27 cycle and being one of cricket’s most storied rivalries, both teams will be eager to have their full-strength line-ups ready for battle.