Ireland will play Australia in a World Cup warm-up Test in Canberra for the first time when the two sides meet at GIO Stadium on 18 September 2027. The fixture will come just weeks before the start of the Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia and will serve as a key preparation match for both teams.
Historic Canberra Test scheduled before global tournament
The match will take place 13 days before Australia national rugby union team begin their World Cup campaign against Hong Kong-China in Perth on 1 October. Ireland national rugby union team will start their tournament three days later on 4 October in Sydney against Portugal.
The upcoming fixture will mark Ireland’s first Test appearance in Canberra and the first time the Wallabies have played a Test at GIO Stadium in a decade. Australia have enjoyed strong results at the venue in the past, winning all five Tests staged there, including a 45-20 victory over Argentina in 2017.
The stadium also hosted a memorable clash during the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour, when the Lions defeated the ACT Brumbies 36-24. Several Ireland internationals, including James Lowe, Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier, scored tries during that match.
Ireland confident after recent victory over Wallabies
Ireland will enter the fixture with positive recent history against Australia. The Irish side recorded a convincing 46-19 victory in Dublin when the teams last met in November.
Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said the game will provide a major boost for rugby fans in the Australian capital, praising the city’s passionate rugby community and its strong support during recent international fixtures.
Before the World Cup warm-up, Ireland will travel for a summer tour in July 2027. The tour begins in Sydney on 4 July, followed by a match against Japan a week later and a final fixture against New Zealand in Auckland on 18 July. Those matches will help Ireland fine-tune preparations ahead of their clash with Australia and the start of the World Cup.
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