The Sports Guru
England's 2027 Ashes fixtures are set, but the schedule already carries a row that started before a ball's bowled: no men's Test anywhere in the north of England. This article walks through the full men's and women's calendars and explains why Old Trafford's absence, in particular, is going to keep being asked about between now and next summer.
England's 2027 Ashes campaign begins at Trent Bridge on 18 June, but the sharpest detail in the schedule announced this week is what isn't there. No men's Test will be played at Old Trafford or Headingley - anywhere in the north of England - and Old Trafford's absence is more pointed than most, because it was originally pencilled in for exactly this fixture. The venue allocation made back in 2023 had Old Trafford down to host a 2027 Test. It will now stage an ODI against Pakistan instead.
A five-Test march south
The men's series opens at Trent Bridge from 18-22 June, moves to Lord's for the second Test from 30 June to 4 July, then Edgbaston from 8-12 July. The fourth Test, from 21-25 July, is at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton, which becomes the tenth UK ground to host a men's Ashes Test. The series concludes at the Kia Oval from 29 July to 2 August. Every match kicks off at 11:00 BST.
It's a schedule built entirely around the Midlands and south of England. For a series that has, in previous decades, regularly used Old Trafford and Headingley, the omission stands out precisely because it wasn't accidental - it was decided in 2023 and is only now landing as a finished fixture list.
Old Trafford's broken promise
When the venue allocation was first announced in 2023, the decision to leave Emirates Old Trafford and Headingley out of the men's Ashes rota was criticised by Andy Burnham, then mayor of Greater Manchester and now prime minister. That criticism is worth remembering now the schedule is confirmed rather than provisional: the ground that expected a Test gets an ODI against Pakistan in its place.
Old Trafford isn't entirely without an Ashes fixture. Australia will play a warm-up match there against England Lions from 7-10 June, part of a new reciprocal arrangement between the two countries to provide what officials describe as "high-quality opposition at an international venue". It's a consolation of sorts - a tourist run-out rather than a Test - and it may not even survive the summer intact. The fixture will be reviewed if Australia reach the men's World Test Championship final, which is being staged at the Oval from 9 June.
The women's tournament tells a different story about the same grounds. Headingley hosts the opening Test of the Women's Ashes, and Old Trafford stages one of the women's T20 internationals. The north isn't absent from the summer - it's absent specifically from the men's Test list.
The women's Ashes runs its own course
The multi-format Women's Ashes runs from 24 June to 20 July, alongside the men's series, much as it did in 2023. It opens with a four-day Test at Headingley from 24-27 June, where England will be trying to win an Ashes Test for the first time since 2014. The context sharpens the stakes: England lost 16-0 on points in Australia in 2025.
Three T20 internationals follow - Trent Bridge on 3 July, the Kia Oval on 6 July and Old Trafford on 9 July - before three one-day internationals at Southampton (13 July), Lord's (16 July) and Edgbaston (20 July).
A Test win is worth four points in the multi-format series, with each white-ball win worth two. That weighting makes the Headingley Test the single biggest scoring opportunity across the seven-match series, and gives England's push for a first Ashes Test win since 2014 extra significance before a ball is bowled in the white-ball legs.
England's uphill climb into the series
Both England teams arrive under pressure. The men lost 4-1 in Australia last winter and go into 2027 without a Test coach, following the sacking of Brendon McCullum. Their only red-ball warm-up before the Ashes is a one-off Test against Bangladesh at Lord's from 28 May to 1 June.
Australia, by contrast, arrive at the end of a marathon red-ball schedule. They host Bangladesh for two Tests in August 2026, tour South Africa for three Tests in October, host New Zealand for four Tests around the turn of the year, play five Tests in India in January and February, and fit in a one-off Test against England in March 2027 to mark 150 years of Test cricket - all before the Ashes even begin in June.
What else is on the calendar
The ECB has also confirmed an England men's mixed disability team will face Australia next summer, though a schedule hasn't been set. Beyond the Ashes, England men's 2027 summer includes a five-match ODI series against Pakistan in May, and three T20s plus five ODIs against New Zealand in September, as preparation for the 50-over World Cup starting in October. England women will host Bangladesh for a three-match T20 series and a three-match ODI series in September.
BBC Test Match Special will carry ball-by-ball coverage of both Ashes series, with in-play clips and TV highlights running alongside.
A decision made four years early
The most striking thing about the north's exclusion is its timing. This wasn't a late call forced by a damaged pitch or a broadcasting reshuffle - it was set in the 2023 venue allocation and criticised then by the man who now runs the country. Old Trafford's shift from scheduled Test venue to ODI host, confirmed only this week, means that four-year-old objection returns with a finished fixture list attached to it rather than a proposal. Whether England's results between now and July 2027 change how much anyone in Manchester cares is a separate question entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
The first Test begins at Trent Bridge on 18 June 2027, with the series concluding at the Kia Oval from 29 July to 2 August.
Emirates Old Trafford and Headingley were not selected to host men's Ashes Tests, a decision made in the 2023 venue allocation and criticised at the time by Andy Burnham, then Greater Manchester mayor and now prime minister.
The multi-format Women's Ashes runs from 24 June to 20 July, opening with a four-day Test at Headingley, where England are seeking their first Ashes Test win since 2014.
A Test win is worth four points, while each white-ball win - across the three T20s and three ODIs - is worth two points.
England play a one-off Test against Bangladesh at Lord's from 28 May to 1 June, while Australia face England Lions at Old Trafford from 7-10 June under a new reciprocal touring agreement.
Research: Our wider editorial research consults online reporting from BBC Sport, Sky Sports, The Guardian and other reputable sources. Story inspiration: BBC Sport's original report.