The British and Irish Lions will not play at Eden Park, New Zealand rugby’s spiritual home and the country’s largest stadium, on their landmark first women’s tour.
While venues for the three-Test series against the Black Ferns in September 2027 have yet to be announced, Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner has gone public on missing out.
“I’m extremely disappointed that it is not being played at our national stadium,” he told an Auckland Council meeting.
The Lions will instead play New Zealand at the city’s Go Media Stadium, which has about half the capacity of Eden Park at 25,000 seats.
Eden Park hosted the women’s Rugby World Cup final in 2022, when a record 42,579 fans watched New Zealand dramatically beat England 34-31. It also staged the first and third Tests when the men’s Lions team toured New Zealand in 2017.
However home crowds for Black Ferns games since they lifted the world title have been significantly smaller, usually fewer than 10,000 fans.
“The bid at Eden Park wasn’t strong enough or compelling enough,” said New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson., external
“We are excited about what we can launch and can’t talk about it yet. Playing the inaugural women’s Lions series will be a step apart, no matter where the venues are.”
While travelling fans have traditionally followed the Lions to the southern hemisphere, it is unknown how many will make the trip to follow the women’s team.
The competitive balance of the series is also a potential concern.
After winning six of the previous seven tournaments, New Zealand failed to make the final of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, losing to Canada in the semi-finals.
World champions England, who are well clear at the top of the world rankings, have won the past seven Six Nations titles and have beaten New Zealand in their past three meetings, including a 33-12 win at the Go Media Stadium two years ago.
Lions team sponsors have funded support to develop players and coaches in Wales, Scotland and Ireland to help ensure the team has representation from across all four nations.