Cricket Australia chief eyes record breaking attendance for Ashes 2025-26

SYDNEY: Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive Todd Greenberg on Wednesday said the ongoing India-England Test series could serve as a major marketing boost for the upcoming 2025-26 Ashes series, scheduled to begin in November this year.

Speaking to Australian media ahead of the fifth Test between India and England, Greenberg expressed confidence that the high-profile Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy would fuel fan excitement and ticket demand.

“It’s great cricket to watch as a fan. Everyone will have their opinion when our English friends arrive, I’m sure, and we’re looking forward to that very much.

"I love the way they’re playing their cricket and I can’t wait to see them test themselves on our shores,” he said.

Greenberg revealed that Ashes pre-sale ticket numbers have already doubled those of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, underlining the massive anticipation for the contest.

“It’s great cricket to watch leading into them coming here on this Ashes trip. It will sell more tickets for us. We like to think that’s talkability,” he added.

According to CA, opening-day tickets for all five Ashes Tests, scheduled in Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, are already sold out.

Additionally, tickets for the first three days at the Gabba, Adelaide Oval, and SCG have also been exhausted.

CA confirmed that tickets for the Ashes series were snapped up at lightning speed, with allocations for the first three days of the Brisbane and Sydney Tests, as well as day one of the Melbourne Test, selling out during the pre-sale.

The opening day of pre sales witnessed a staggering surge in demand, breaking previous records with 311,611 tickets sold across all international matches for the 2025-26 season.

This nearly triples the previous single-day sales record of 111,741 tickets set ahead of the 2017-18 Ashes series.

Meanwhile, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 recorded a gross attendance of 837,879, making it the most-watched Test campaign in Australia’s history outside the Ashes. 

However, the all-time record remains 946,750, set during the 1936-37 Ashes series. England’s 2025-26 Ashes tour will feature five Tests, starting on November 21, 2025.