England and Australia will not play Tests in the north of England after Old Trafford and Headingley not chosen to host.
Published On 23 Jul 2026
There will be no Ashes matches in the north of England next year, when Australia arrive for Test cricket’s oldest rivalry.
Headingley in Leeds and Manchester’s Old Trafford have both staged some of the most dramatic clashes in the long history of Ashes cricket.
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Don Bradman, arguably cricket’s greatest batsman, scored two triple centuries at Headingley in the 1930s.
Both grounds played host to remarkable individual feats by England hero Ian Botham during the 1981 Ashes series.
Headingley was also the venue for a remarkable unbeaten century by England’s Ben Stokes in a one-wicket win during the 2019 series.
But both venues have been left off the schedule for the 2027 Ashes – a decision criticised by new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, then the mayor of Greater Manchester – when it was announced in 2023.
The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed on Thursday the exact fixture list for next year’s Ashes, with all five matches limited to the Midlands and south of England.
Hampshire’s Rose Bowl, near Southampton, will stage its first Ashes Test from July 21 – the fourth of the series.
It will become the 10th ground in the United Kingdom to stage a men’s Ashes Test.
The series will start at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on June 18, with Lord’s – as is traditional – staging the second Test on June 30 and Edgbaston in Birmingham the third on July 8.
The Ashes will conclude at the Oval in south London with the July 29-August 2 Test.
Old Trafford and Headingley are both set to stage Ashes Tests in 2031.
Australia triumphed 4-1 on home soil during the 2025-26 Ashes. The last Ashes series in England ended in a 2-2 draw in 2023.
England’s last Ashes series success was a 3-2 home victory in 2015.
They are also due to play a one-off Test against Bangladesh at Lord’s from May 28.
The 2027 World Test Championship final will be held at the Oval starting on June 9, the second time the venue has hosted the title match.
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