‘Sea of red’ fails to materialise as fans snub British and Irish Lions squad announcement event
Andy Farrell, the 2025 British and Irish Lions head coach
General public tickets are still in plentiful supply for Thursday’s British and Irish Lions squad announcement in London.
Event organisers had hoped to create a sea of red at the indigo in The O2, launching a ballot for tickets when it was confirmed in early March that more than 2,000 fans would be accommodated at the May 8 squad announcement.
It is the first time that the squad announcement will take place with fans present. However, supply exceeded demand for tickets via the ballot and despite subsequently putting them on sale to the general public, multiple seats are still available in three of the six ticket categories for Thursday’s big reveal.
Such is the lack of demand three days out from the confirmation of the British and Irish Lions squad that Andy Farrell will bring with him to Australia, fans can still go online and buy six tickets per transaction in categories priced at £42.40, £53.59 and £59.10.
It’s a situation that will disappoint Lions officials as they would have hoped for an immediate event sell-out, but the popularity of the famed tourists hasn’t translated into demand for squad announcement tickets.
Tickets are also still available for two tour matches in Australia
Not all tour matches in Australia are a sell-out either as tickets are available online for the June 28 clash with Western Force in Perth and the July 22 match in Melbourne against a First Nations & Pasifika XV.
While Farrell’s squad announcement in London hasn’t been a box office hit with fans, media interest in which players he will pick has been ratcheting up in recent days with high-profile rugby figures such as Clive Woodward and Lawrence Dallaglio penning columns on who they believe should be picked.
Join us! The 2025 Lions Squad will be announced on Thursday, 8 May in London in front of fans for the first time 🙌
You can be there with us! Tap the image of the 2017 captain and coaches to get your tickets ⤵️
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) May 2, 2025
Both suggested that England’s Maro Itoje will be chosen as tour captain but they differed on the country-by-country make-up of the squad. Woodward’s suggested squad of 37 featured 14 English players, 14 Irish, seven Scottish and just two Welsh while Dallaglio’s 38-strong pick consisted of 15 Irish players, 13 English, six Scots and four Welsh.
Dallaglio was adamant that head coach Farrell must pick his French-based son Owen despite critics claiming he is well past his best since stepping away from Test rugby with England at the end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
“Anyone who questions the selection of Farrell should look back at the clutch penalties he kicked in the second Test of the Lions tour to New Zealand in 2017 that took it to a decider,” he wrote in The Sunday Times.
“You can’t beat a seasoned Test-match animal and I wouldn’t even consider it a controversial selection. Andy Farrell will put to one side the fact he is his son and just pick on who he thinks can help the Lions win the series.”
