2025 Rugby League Ashes Series sets new attendance record as overall ranking confirmed
A general view of Headingley moments before kick-off in the third Ashes Test between England and Australia in 2025
England and Australia’s three clashes this autumn drew a cumulative crowd of 132,418: with that the third-highest tally in history for an Ashes Series held in the UK.
By the time the third and final Test this autumn came around on Saturday afternoon, Australia already had the series sewn up after beating England in each of their first two clashes.
The Kangaroos‘ 26-6 win at Wembley on October 25 was watched by a crowd of 60,812, with full-back Reece Walsh named the Player of the Match after a two-try display and some huge defensive moments.
Cameron Munster was then the star of the show on November 1 at Everton FC’s Hill Dickinson Stadium in the second Test, which the tourists won 14-4 courtesy of ten unanswered second half points.
Sold out, 52,106 fans flocked to Merseyside to watch that game, the first-ever rugby league match at the Toffees’ new home.
Melbourne Storm star Munster was named the Player of the Series, but it was hooker Harry Grant who claimed the Player of the Match award in Saturday afternoon’s third and final Test at Headingley, watched by another sold-out crowd of 19,500.
A 30-8 victory in Leeds saw Kevin Walters’ side secure a 3-0 series whitewash, with the third victory earned again by 18 unanswered points in the second half.
2025 Rugby League Ashes Series sets new attendance record as overall ranking confirmed
Notably, we’ve been waiting 22 years for an Ashes Series, but the cumulative attendance across the three Tests in excess of 132,000 meant that this was the most-watched Ashes Series since 1994.
The 2001 series between Great Britain and the Aussies, which was won 2-1 by the ‘Roos despite losing the opening Test, saw games in Huddersfield, Bolton and Wigan.
That year, the cumulative attendance across the three Tests was only 68,921 – just 8,109 more than the 2025 opener at Wembley attracted on its own.
And in the most recent Ashes Series prior to 2025 back in 2003, it was a very similar story.
Those three Tests took place in Wigan, Hull and Huddersfield, amassing a cumulative attendance of 73,887.
That figure had been surpassed by the time this year’s second Test on Merseyside rolled around.
Accordingly, 58,531 more fans watched the 2025 Ashes Series than the last one in 2003.
That is an increase of over 79% from series to series, albeit the two most recent instalments of the Rugby League Ashes came 22 years apart.
