Who are rugby's British and Irish Lions?

The British and Irish Lions kicked off their 2025 rugby tour with an opening match against Argentina in Dublin on Friday 20 June.

It was the first time that the Lions have played in Ireland and also their first match under head coach Andy Farrell.

It was also the first time the British and Irish Lions had lost their opening tour game in over 50 years.

The Lions set off to Australia next for a nine-match tour.

So who are the Lions and where are they playing this summer? Keep reading to find out.

Are you excited for the tour? Let us know what you're looking forward to in the comments below.

What happened in the first Lions match?

The Lions lost to Argentina's Pumas in their opening match

The British and Irish Lions got their tour off to a disappointing start as they were beaten 28-24 by Argentina.

It is the first time the Lions had lost a tour opener since 1971.

A penalty try and a try from Tadhg Beirne had put the Lions into the lead early in the second half.

But a try from Pumas' Santiago Cordero 22 minutes from the end proved decisive.

Desperate to travel to Australia on a winning note, the Lions pushed for a winning try in the closing stages, but Argentina held on in a nail-biting climax to claim their first win over the Lions.

Who are the Lions?

The Lions are a team made up of rugby union stars from England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

Players do not have to have already played for their national side, they just have to be available for selection by one of those four teams.

They're put together every four years to face one of the world's best rugby teams - rotating between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Each tour, the Lions play a selection of warm-up games before three Tests against the host country.

Most recently, the Lions lost their Test series against South Africa in 2021, by two matches to one.

The Lions last played in Australia in 2013.

Who's in this year's squad?

Maro Itoje will captain the Lions this summer

British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has selected 38 players for their tour of Australia.

England and Saracens captain Maro Itoje, a Test regular in the 2017 and 2021 series, will lead the squad for the first time.

Ireland are best represented with 16 players, England supply 13, Scotland seven and Wales have two players in the team.

Here is the full squad list for this summer's tour:

Captain: Maro Itoje (Eng)

Props: Finlay Bealham (Ire), Tadhg Furlong (Ire), Ellis Genge (Eng), Andrew Porter (Ire), Pierre Schoeman (Sco), Will Stuart (Eng)

Hookers: Luke Cowan-Dickie (Eng), Ronan Kelleher (Ire), Dan Sheehan (Ire)

Second rows: Tadhg Beirne (Ire), Ollie Chessum (Eng), Scott Cummings (Sco), Maro Itoje (Eng), Joe McCarthy (Ire), James Ryan (Ire)

Back rows: Jack Conan (Ire), Tom Curry (Eng), Ben Earl (Eng), Jac Morgan (Wal), Henry Pollock (Eng), Josh van der Flier (Ire)

Scrum-halves: Jamison Gibson-Park (Ire), Alex Mitchell (Eng), Tomos Williams (Wal)

Fly-halves: Finn Russell (Sco), Fin Smith (Eng), Marcus Smith (Eng)

Centres: Bundee Aki (Ire), Huw Jones (Sco), Garry Ringrose (Ire), Sione Tuipulotu (Sco)

Wings: Elliot Daly (Eng), Tommy Freeman (Eng), Mack Hansen (Ire), James Lowe (Ire), Duhan van der Merwe (Sco)

Full-backs: Hugo Keenan (Ire), Blair Kinghorn (Sco)

Where is the 2025 Lions Tour taking place?

The Australian city of Brisbane will host the first Test match

Aside from their Dublin fixture, the Lions will play six tour matches and three Tests in Australia on the following days:

Friday 20 June - Lions v Argentina, Dublin

Saturday 28 June - Lions v Western Force, Perth

Wednesday 2 July - Lions v Queensland Reds, Brisbane

Saturday 5 July - Lions v NSW Waratahs, Sydney

Wednesday 9 July - Lions v ACT Brumbies, Canberra

Saturday 12 July - Lions v Invitational AU & NZ, Adelaide

Saturday 19 July - Lions v Australia, first Test, Brisbane

Tuesday 22 July - Lions v First Nations & Pasifika XV, Melbourne

Saturday 26 July - Lions v Australia, second Test, Melbourne

Saturday 2 August - Lions v Australia, third Test, Sydney