Andy Farrell to name British & Irish Lions squad and captain at London event in May

The Lions will play the Wallabies in three Test matches Down Under with Irish skipper Caelan Doris among the favourites to be named captain.

Andy Farrell is set to name his British & Irish Lions captain and squad for the summer tour to Australia in front of a live audience of 2,000 supporters in London on May 8. Pic Credit: ©INPHO/British Irish Lions/Karen Watson.

Andy Farrell is set to name his British & Irish Lions captain and squad for the summer tour to Australia in front of a live audience of 2,000 supporters in London on May 8, the tourists have announced.

The Lions will play the Wallabies in three Test matches Down Under with Irish skipper Caelan Doris among the favourites for the prestigious role of leading the best players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales on tour.

It will be the first time the Lions have turned the traditional tour captain reveal into a public event and they have booked the Indigo at the 02 in London for the occasion.

The May 8 unveiling of Farrell's touring squad and captain will come six weeks before the Lions play Argentina in a pre-tour match at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday, June 20.

The touring party is set to travel to Australia for an opening match against Western Force in Perth on June 28, the first of five tour games before the first Test against Joe Schmidt's Australia in Brisbane on Saturday, July 19.

The Lions want to create an early taste of the fans' "Sea of Red" jerseys on home soil first on May 8 and will stage a ticket ballot for the 2,700-capacity event in the coming weeks.

Lions Rugby Club members will have priority access to purchase tickets, with more details to come on www.lionsrugby.com while the event will also be televised live by Sky Sports.

Lions chief executive Ben Calveley said: “Taking place at indigo in The O2, this will be our biggest and most special squad announcement yet.

“We are absolutely delighted to see record numbers of fans already travelling to Australia this summer as the Sea of Red unites for the first time since 2017.

“But we also know there are millions of fans at home who also want to be brought closer to the action – and this unique event gives them the chance to do that."