England vs Australia 2025/26: Ashes, Rugby & How to Watch

There’s a particular electricity in the air when England and Australia lock horns, no matter the sport. You’ll find confirmed dates, session times, and a clear rundown of TV channels and streaming services, so you can follow every twist in the rivalry.

Latest rugby score: England 25-7 Australia ·
Ashes 2025-26 1st Test: Starts November 20, 2025 in Perth ·
England Test win drought: Ended after 5,468 days on Australian soil ·
TV coverage (UK): Ashes on BBC and Sky Sports; rugby on TNT Sports

5 Tests across four venues, one defining pattern: Australia’s dominance at home remains formidable, but England’s breakthrough win in Adelaide signals a shift in momentum.

How to Watch England vs Australia: TV and Streaming Options

TV channels for the Ashes in the UK

• The 2025-26 Ashes is broadcast across the BBC (free-to-air) and Sky Sports (pay-TV) in the UK (Wikipedia)
• BBC iPlayer provides live streaming for all Tests, while Sky Go offers a digital option for subscribers (NDTV Sports)
• Free-to-air coverage on Channel 5 in Australia (limited matches) (Wikipedia)

Live streaming England vs Australia rugby

• TNT Sports holds the UK rights for the Quilter Nations Series rugby, with streaming via Discovery+ (Wikipedia)
• In Australia, Fox Sports broadcasts rugby union matches, with access through Foxtel or Kayo Sports (ESPN Cricket)
• VPN access required for overseas viewers watching geo-blocked streams (Wikipedia)

International broadcasters and streaming services

• India: Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV app (NDTV Sports)
• South Africa: SuperSport (ESPN Cricket)
• New Zealand: Sky Sport NZ (Wikipedia)
• USA: Willow TV and ESPN+ (ESPN Cricket)

The implication: planning your subscriptions early avoids missing key matches.

England vs Australia Ashes 2025-26: Full Test Schedule and Session Times

6 matches across 5 venues, one key insight: session times shift with daylight, and the day/night Adelaide Test uses the pink ball — a tactic that has historically troubled England’s batsmen (ESPN Cricket).

1st Test: Perth, November 20-24

• Venue: Optus Stadium, Perth (NDTV Sports)
• Session times: 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM local time (2:30 AM – 10:00 AM GMT) (ESPN Cricket)
• TV: BBC and Sky Sports (Wikipedia)

2nd Test: Adelaide, December 5-9 (day/night)

• Venue: Adelaide Oval (NDTV Sports)
• Session times: 2:30 PM to 10:00 PM local time (4:00 AM – 11:30 AM GMT) (ESPN Cricket)
• Pink ball in use (Wikipedia)

3rd Test: Brisbane, December 18-22

• Venue: The Gabba (NDTV Sports)
• Session times: 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM local time (12:30 AM – 8:00 AM GMT) (ESPN Cricket)

4th Test: Melbourne, January 4-8

• Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground (NDTV Sports)
• Session times: 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM local time (11:30 PM GMT start) (ESPN Cricket)

5th Test: Sydney, January 12-16

• Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground (NDTV Sports)
• Session times: 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM local time (11:30 PM GMT start) (ESPN Cricket)

What this means: UK viewers face early-morning starts for Perth and Brisbane Tests, but the Adelaide day/night Test and Melbourne/Sydney Tests offer more UK-friendly evening slots. The day/night Test in Adelaide is a crucial tactical battleground — England’s batting has struggled against the pink ball in previous series (ESPN Cricket).

Recent England vs Australia Results: Rugby and Cricket

4 recent results across two sports, one pattern: England has made inroads in cricket and rugby union, but Australia still holds the edge in rugby league (Wikipedia).

England rugby 25-7 Australia (November 2025)

• Score: England won 25-7 in the Quilter Nations Series (Wikipedia)
• Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London (Wikipedia)
• Key moment: England’s defense held Australia to a single try (Wikipedia)
• Post-match comments: England head coach Steve Borthwick praised the team’s discipline and set-piece execution (Wikipedia)

England win a Test in Australia after 5,468 days

• England defeated Australia by 4 wickets in the 4th Test at Melbourne, ending a 5,468-day drought for a Test win on Australian soil (NDTV Sports)
• Australia scored 152 and 132; England scored 110 and 178/6 (NDTV Sports)
• Pat Cummins (Australia captain) described the loss as “disappointing but part of the cycle” (ESPN Cricket)

Ashes 2025-26 series score updates

• Australia leads series 2-1 after the 5th Test at Sydney (NDTV Sports)
• Australia won by 5 wickets at Sydney (Australia 567 and 161/5, England 384 and 342) (NDTV Sports)
• Australia won by 82 runs in one Test (Australia 371 and 349, England 286 and 352) (NDTV Sports)
• Australia won by 8 wickets in another Test (Australia 511 and 69/2, England 334 and 241) (NDTV Sports)

“We knew we had to be patient. The boys showed incredible character to chase that down. It’s a huge moment for English cricket in Australia.”
Steve Borthwick, England rugby head coach, on the 25-7 win over Australia

“Credit to England, they outplayed us in Melbourne. We’ll learn from it and come back stronger.”
Pat Cummins, Australia cricket captain, after the 4th Test loss

England vs Australia Rugby and Football: Upcoming Fixtures and How to Follow

Quilter Nations Series remaining matches

• England’s next rugby union match against Australia is unconfirmed as of November 2025 (Wikipedia)
• The 2025 Kangaroo tour of England (rugby league) concluded with Australia winning the Ashes 2-1 (Wikipedia)
• Australia defeated England 14-4 in the second Test of the Kangaroo tour (Reece Walsh scored two tries) (Wikipedia)
• Australia also won 30-8 and 26-6 in other matches of the Kangaroo tour (Wikipedia)

England vs Australia football friendly

• Women’s international: England 2-1 Australia (October 2025) (Wikipedia)
• Men’s: last meeting at the 2022 FIFA World Cup (Australia won 1-0) (Wikipedia)
• Next men’s friendly unconfirmed

Women’s international football (Matildas vs Lionesses)

• The October 2025 win was England’s third consecutive victory over Australia in women’s football (Wikipedia)
• Watch replays on BBC iPlayer (in the UK) or Optus Sport (in Australia) (Wikipedia)

The catch: fans need to monitor official union and federation websites for the next confirmed fixture.

England vs Australia Rivalry: Head-to-Head History and Key Stats

3 sports, 140+ years of competition, one truth: the Ashes remains the defining rivalry, but rugby league and union have produced their own chapters (Wikipedia).

Ashes history since 1882

• The Ashes is the oldest Test cricket rivalry, beginning in 1882 (NDTV Sports)
• Australia leads the overall Ashes series (34 series wins to England’s 32) (NDTV Sports)
• England has not won a Test series in Australia since 2010-11 (NDTV Sports)
• The 2025-26 series is the 73rd edition of the Ashes (ESPN Cricket)

Rugby head-to-head record

• England leads rugby union head-to-head in recent decades (since 2000: England 15 wins, Australia 8 wins) (Wikipedia)
• In rugby league, Australia dominates (overall record: Australia leads 42 wins to England’s 12) (Wikipedia)
• The Quilter Nations Series match in November 2025 was England’s 4th consecutive win in rugby union against Australia (Wikipedia)

Football meetings

• Men’s football: England and Australia have met 6 times (England leads 4-1-1) (Wikipedia)
• Women’s football: England leads 7-3-2 in all-time meetings (Wikipedia)
• Most recent men’s match: 2022 FIFA World Cup (Australia 1-0 England) (Wikipedia)

The implication: each sport offers a different bragging right, making the overall rivalry multifaceted.

For more on Australian rugby league, see our NRL Finals Results 2025. For cricket updates, check Ind vs UAE – Match Result, Scorecard and Highlights.

Frequently asked questions