Andy Farrell will let the cat out of the bag this week when he names his British and Irish Lions squad to tour Australia this summer. The Englishman, who has been head coach of Ireland since 2019, will reveal his selections in front of more than 2,000 spectators at a special event at The O2 Arena in London on Thursday. Lions chairman Ieuan Evans, the former Wales wing who earned three call-ups to the squad and scored the series-clinching try in 1989 against the Wallabies, will read out the selections made by Farrell and his coaching staff, which includes Ireland quartet John Fogarty, Andrew Goodman, Simon Easterby and Johnny Sexton, England’s Richard Wigglesworth and John Dalziel of Scotland. David Nucifora has been appointed General Manager, Performance, while Aled Walters is on board as Head of Athletic Performance, with Vinny Hammond serving as Head of Analysis. A total of 37 players were selected for the previous Lions tour in 2021, and a similar number are expected to be unveiled by Farrell for the upcoming trip Down Under. Eight Scots were included in the squad which went to South Africa and lost the Test series 2-1 during a tour played out in empty stadiums in the covid era. It was the biggest Scottish contingent in an initial Lions touring party for 32 years, since nine were named for the 1989 tour to Australia. This year’s quota of Scots had been expected to exceed both those totals although there are injury concerns over a number of players while there is a debate over whether Finn Russell should be among the first picks at fly-half. All will be revealed on Thursday... The British and Irish Lions squad for the tour of Australia will be named in front of more than 2,000 spectators at the O2 Arena in London on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Doors will open for the event at midday, with the announcement itself set to begin at 2pm. The Lions squad announcement will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Mix with coverage starting at 2pm on Thursday. Sky Sports subscribers can stream the Lions squad announcement via the Sky Go app. The announcement will also be available to watch for free on the Lions official YouTube channel. The Lions will play 10 matches in total, starting with a home clash against Argentina on Friday, June 20 in Dublin, with the teams playing for the 1888 Cup in an 8pm kick-off. The 2025 Lions Tour to Australia then takes place as follows (all kick-offs 11am BST): June 28 - Lions v Western Force, Perth (Optus Stadium) July 2 - Lions v Queensland Reds, Brisbane (Suncorp Stadium) July 5 - Lions v NSW Waratahs, Sydney (Allianz Stadium) July 9 - Lions v ACT Brumbies, Canberra (GIO Stadium) July 12 - Lions v Invitational AU & NZ, Adelaide (Adelaide Oval) July 19 - 1st Test, Lions v Wallabies, Brisbane (Suncorp Stadium) July 22 - Lions v First Nations & Pasifika XV, Melbourne (Marvel Stadium) July 26 - 2nd Test, Lions v Wallabies, Melbourne (Melbourne Cricket Ground/MCG) 2 Aug - 3rd Test, Lions v Wallabies, Sydney (Accor Stadium)