Qatar Airways has been announced as Official Title Partner and Official Airline Partner of next year’s British & Irish Lions tour to Australia.
The 2025 edition of the fabled Lions tours – which sees the best rugby union players from Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales take on the best in the southern hemisphere every 4 years; alternating between Australia, South Africa and New Zealand – will be officially called The Qatar Airways British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia and kicks off on June 28.
The Lions have only won one of the six tour series this century; namely the 2013 victory over Australia. The only other result of note, since 1997 (when the Lions famously beat South Africa), was the 2017 drawn series in New Zealand, so the appetite for victory is strong.
An estimated 20,000 fans – from the four countries – are expected to travel to Australia next year for the 2025 series.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said: “We are taking our commitment to the sport of rugby to the next level, flying some of the world’s best athletes, coaching staff and officials to compete in The Qatar Airways British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia 2025. We look forward to enabling rugby fans across the world to connect for this unique sporting event. Our network of over 170 destinations will serve as the perfect means to fly fans from all over the globe and experience the service that earned us the Skytrax World’s Best Airline award for a record eight times.
CEO of The British & Irish Lions, Ben Calveley, commented: “An airline partner is a vital logistical component of every Lions tour and alongside our partners in Rugby Australia we are very pleased to welcome Qatar Airways on board as Series Title Partner for the 2025 Tour to Australia. Qatar Airways has a proven track record of excellence as a premium global airline, providing high-quality service to customers travelling to and from almost 100 countries. This three-way partnership between the Lions, Rugby Australia and Qatar Airways will play an important part in delivering the Lions Tour in 2025.”
CEO of Rugby Australia, Phil Waugh said: “We have had an incredible response from the public in Australia and the UK and Ireland to tickets going on-sale for The Qatar Airways British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia 2025, with the first allocation to all three Tests and a number of tour games already selling out. This announcement of Qatar Airways as the Series Title Partner sees one of the world’s finest airlines getting behind one of the most iconic major sporting events in the world, and represents another substantial boost to what promises to be a memorable occasion across Australia next year.”
