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A British & Irish Lions Tour to Argentina may be on the horizon. The possibility has existed without materializing in the 21st Century. However, following Los Pumas’ historic Triple Crown in the 2024 Rugby Championship, an invitation has been made for the British & Irish Lions Tour to Argentina.
| TOUR INVITATION |
Writing for the Daily Mail, Nik Simon reports that the combined team featuring the leading England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales players has been invited to tour South America. It would be the first British & Irish Lions tour to Argentina in almost a century. Prior tours to Argentina took place in 1910, 1927 and 1936.
Simon spoke with former Sudamerica Rugby president, Sebastián Pineyrúa. The Uruguayan argued in favor of Argentina hosting the British & Irish Lions. Pineyrúa said that a tour must at least be on the table for discussion because it would be good for both parties.
Pineyrúa believes that a Pumas vs Lions series would see stadiums sold out. He suggests River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires as a possibility and notes it could be full with 85,000 in attendance. Moreover, in place of playing against provincial sides, Pineyrúa argues that there could be tour matches against Chile, Uruguay and a South American XV.
| START IN NORTH AMERICA |
British & Irish Lions tours have varied historically but have been consistent since the Rugby World Cup era began. This period has seen three test matches against the prime opponent and additional non-capped matches. The 2025 schedule features nine matches in Australia following a match against Argentina in Dublin, Ireland.
The 2029 tour schedule has not been finalized. It is scheduled to be to New Zealand. For the purpose of promoting Rugby World Cup 2031 in the USA, a case can be made to postpone the tour to New Zealand until 2033.
A tour to Argentina could help Rugby World Cup 2031 by having the British & Irish Lions begin their tour in the USA. Among the possibilities is to have three matches in North America before continuing the tour in South America. This model could see the USA and Canada both hosting test matches and a fixture against a Major League Rugby (MLR) All-Stars / Dream Team.
| SAMPLE TOUR – BRITISH & IRISH LIONS TO ARGENTINA IN 2029 |
The 2025 tour of Australia will start at home. The British & Irish Lions home match against Argentina in Dublin will be played on Friday 20th June. This date is important to note as it identifies the a future tour could potentially begin.
In building to Rugby World Cup 2031, the proposed British & Irish Lions tour of Argentina could involve test matches against the Americas’ Rugby World Cup competitors. The Lions could thus play against the USA and Canada in North America and Argentina, Chile and Uruguay in South America. The three match series against Los Pumas would be positioned at the end of the tour.
Such a scenario would mean a notable fixture and venue would be missing; there would be no place for São Paulo. Alternatively, if New Zealand does host the British & Irish Lions in 2029 this would mean that the proposed tour to Argentina would be in 2033 at the earliest.
In the best interests of Rugby World Cup 2031, a British & Irish Lions tour to Argentina needs to be positioned before that World Cup. If it is to occur after then it is destined to to be a tour without matches in North America.
Below is a sample tour featuring eleven matches. It includes six matches in Argentina. If there were to be no matches in North America then one match in São Paulo could be added as well as a further match in Argentina, possibly against the Super Rugby Americas champions. This would leave room for a pre-tour fixture, such as the British & Irish Lions vs South Africa, to be played in the UK or Ireland.
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | CAPACITY |
| Sat, June 23 | MLR All-Stars | Soldier field, Chicago (US) | 61,500 |
| Tues, June 26 | USA | MetLife Stadium, New Jersey (US) | 82,566 |
| Sat, June 30 | Canada | BMO Field, Toronto (CA) | 30,991 |
| Wed, July 04 | Chile | Estadio Nacional, Santiago (CL) | 48,665 |
| Sat, July 07 | Uruguay | Estadio Centenario, Montevideo (UY) | 60,235 |
| Wed, July 11 | Argentina XV | Estadio B G E López, Santa Fe | 30,835 |
| Sat, July 14 | Argentina | Estadio Malvinas, Mendoza | 40,268 |
| Wed, July 18 | Sudamerica XV | Estadio Único, Santiago del Estero | 30,000 |
| Sat, July 21 | Argentina | Estadio Mario Kempes, Córdoba | 57,000 |
| Tues, July 24 | SRA All-Stars | Estadio José Fierro, Tucumán | 35,200 |
| Sat, July 28 | Argentina | River Plate Stadium, Buenos Aires | 84,567 |
