The appetite for international rugby league is huge as the initial ticket sales for the three Ashes Test matches have shown.
Whilst tickets don’t go on general sale until April 14th, a priority window was opened for those fans who registered interest upon the initial announcement of the series revival.
However, there are now concerns that one of the three Tests won’t even have tickets left when the general sale window opens, such has been the demand in the opening hours of the priority window.
It was confirmed in March that the rugby league Ashes would be revived for the first time in 22 years with Australia set to tour England in October and November of this year.
Where are they now? The last Great Britain side to host Australia in the rugby league Ashes
Wembley, Everton’s new Bramley-Moore Docks Stadium and Headingley were the selected venues with the games to be played on successive Saturdays in late October and early November.
Not only will it mark the first Ashes series in 22 years, it marks the first meeting between the England and Australia men’s sides since 2017, when they faced off in the Rugby League World Cup Final.
Rugby League Ashes Test set for sell-out after “unprecedented” sales
🙌 A record-breaking day for #EnglandRL tickets! 🏴
🗳️ The Priority Window is still open to those who registered their interest up until Sunday 13 April… pic.twitter.com/XforSThCpi
— England Rugby League (@England_RL) April 2, 2025
It was confirmed by the RFL at 6:30 pm on Tuesday evening that over 60,000 tickets had been sold despite the priority window for tickets opening just hours earlier at midday.
RL Commercial’s Managing Director Rhodri Jones has described the numbers as “unprecedented” and “easily the most tickets that have been sold for any series in a single day”.
The numbers also either surpass or match the total attendance figures for England’s 2023 series against Tonga and the 2024 series against Samoa.
Both those series saw Headingley, described by organisers as the ‘best ground in Super League’, as one of the venues but there are now fears that tickets could have sold out for that venue before they hit general sale with less than 1,500 tickets remaining.
Incredibly, the North, South and East Stand were all sold out within 80 minutes of the priority window opening whilst all hospitality packages for the stadium have sold out.
Jones said: “It confirms the huge demand to see Shaun Wane’s England team taking on Mal Meninga’s Kangaroos this autumn, in the first Ashes series since 2003.
“We believe our choice of venues has captured the imagination of Rugby League and sports fans in all parts of the country, and even overseas.
“We have set ambitious goals to ensure the series is played in front of the audiences it deserves – and we are already well on course to meet those goals.”
Eric TvCat
April 3, 2025 at 10:27 am
90,000 Wembley Stadium capacity, 60,000 already looking at going. Bramley Moor Stadium, 52,900 capacity, likely to be sold out. Now we see why the RFL are unfit to run the sport, Headingley 19,700 capacity. Two thirds of those wanting to attend, minimum, will be locked out! Let’s say roughly 35,00p fans licked out at an average of £40 per ticket, £1.4m lost, plus all the associated local trade, millions just tossed aside because the RFL is so incredibly cash rich it can afford to ignore selling tickets to games. If the most virulent anti League bigots at the RFU were running the RFL they couldn’t do more to stifle the sport. Any large capacity venue in the UK would beg for the third test, League crowds are invariably good natured, trouble free, spend lits of money, have a good day out. They would most likely bid to host the match! Even the main Union venues! Yet in their infinite wisdom om the RFL picks Headingley, it’s no wonder the sport doesn’t develop. Sell up to the NRL, let experts do the job, and let them dictate policy to certain chai persons fof certain clubs how things will ve run, rather than as it stands now..