British and Irish Lions squad announcement: How to watch, what time, TV channel and live stream

Head coach Andy Farrell will name his British & Irish Lions squad to tour Australia on Thursday, May 8, at London’s iconic O2 arena.

It will be the first time that the squad will be named in front of a live audience, with more than 2,000 supporters expected to be in attendance.

British and Irish Lions squad announcement

Lions chair Ieuan Evans, a three-time tourist, will read out the selections made by Farrell and his coaching staff on Thursday, with the announcement itself set to begin at 1.30 pm (UK).

Farrell is expected to select a squad consisting of around 37 players, the same number that Warren Gatland picked for the tour to South Africa four years ago. However, it is worthwhile noting that Gatland added one more player – Ronan Kelleher – before the Lions squad departed.

The event will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, while fans across the globe will be able to watch the event on the official British and Irish Lions YouTube page.

The Lions have confirmed that there will also be guest appearances and real-time reactions from players selected for the tour.

Planet Rugby will also be covering the event through our live blog, the link for which will appear below, throughout the day.

British & Irish Lions squad announcement, LIVE: Our blog of a massive day at The O2 in London

Lions coaches

Head coach Farrell has already revealed his first big decisions ahead of the tour, naming his assistant coaches.

David Nucifora has been appointed General Manager, Performance, while Aled Walters is on board as Head of Athletic Performance and Vinny Hammond will serve as the Head of Analysis.

Simon Easterby, who filled in as interim Ireland head coach during the Six Nations this year, has also joined Farrell’s coaching team along with fellow Ireland coaches John Fogarty, Andrew Goodman.

England’s Richard Wigglesworth and John Dalziel of Scotland were also unveiled as assistant coaches, while more recently, former Ireland captain and ex-Lions fly-half Johnny Sexton was added to the staff.

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Fixtures

The Lions will play 10 times in 2025 with their first match against Argentina on June 20 in Dublin before departing to Australia.

The opening game Down Under will be against the Western Force before further matches against fellow Super Rugby Pacific outfits the NSW Waratahs and the ACT Brumbies.

Farrell’s charges will then face an Australia/New Zealand invitational team that will be coached by former All Blacks boss Ian Foster, which will take place a week before the opening Test of the Series.

The Lions tackle the Wallabies on July 19 in Brisbane, followed by a clash with a First Nations & Pasifika XV the following Tuesday.

The final two Tests of the Series will take place in Melbourne at the MCG and then at the Accor Stadium in Sydney.

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