Eight days of cricket across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide already sold out of pre-sale allocated tickets
Ashes fever hits as Boxing Day tickets snapped up in record time
Click for how you can still secure Ashes tickets
This summer's men's Ashes is one of the most anticipated series on record as the opening day of the MCG's Boxing Day Test saw its entire pre-sale allocation sold out in record time on Tuesday.
Ticket sales records were smashed on the opening day of Cricket Australia's pre-sale period. A new single-day sales record was set with 311,611 tickets sold for the international summer by Tuesday, nearly tripling the previous single-day sales benchmark of 111,741.
The public allocation for the opening day of the Boxing Day Test was exhausted in record time, with every available seat in the country's largest stadium snapped up in June for the first time ever.
The demand prompted CA’s GM of Events & Operations Joel Morrison to declare: "We have never seen anything like this in Australian cricket history."
A second, small release of tickets for all days and venues will be made available on June 6 for fans registered for the pre-sale period, while any remaining public tickets will be available on June 13.
The marquee Melbourne Test is always a popular ticket, particularly in Ashes years, but never to the extent seen this year, with around 200,000 people in virtual queues on Tuesday.
The first three days of both the Pink Test in Sydney and the Gabba day-night Test saw their public pre-sale allocations exhausted on Tuesday. The first day at Adelaide Oval was exhausted on Wednesday morning.
In Perth, more tickets were sold yesterday for day one of the West Test than were sold in the entire period between tickets going on sale and match eve for last summer's Test against India.
That's despite a technical glitch that prevented some fans from initially accessing tickets for Perth Stadium.
The West Test was also on track to see all pre-sale tickets snapped up for day one, with days two and three also selling strongly.
Ticketek, which handles all cricket venues except Perth Stadium and the WACA, reported the surge in cricket ticket purchases had given the company its biggest day of sales in its 45-year history.
A tightly fought and at times acrimonious 2023 Ashes in the UK has lit the fuse to make this summer so highly anticipated. England's "Bazball" brand has heightened expectations for an entertaining summer.
Comments from Joe Root – who told Nathan Lyon the team was "in the entertainment business now" – and captain Ben Stokes that fans were "lucky to witness us play", as well as the stumping of a wandering Jonny Bairstow and the outraged reaction from Lord's members all have Australian supporters eager to be involved this summer.
There has also been an influx of ticket sales from the UK for the first time since 2017-18, when the previous ticket sales record was set.
The pandemic prevented England fans travelling for the previous Ashes series in Australia in 2021-22 and this summer the Barmy Army is set to assemble in force, with more than 50,000 tickets sold to UK residents during the pre-sale. England tourists also make up the vast majority of pre-purchased tickets with the Cricket Australia Travel Office packages.
About a quarter of tickets sold to the Pink Test in Sydney were to buyers from the UK, who also accounted for more than 20 per cent of sales for Adelaide and Melbourne. Similar figures are expected for Brisbane and Perth, where data was still being processed.
The early rush on Boxing Day tickets could see this summer's MCG Test rival last year's match against India for total attendance. Then, 373,691 people attended the MCG across the five days. England's most recent Test at the MCG lasted less than three days however, as Scott Boland ran amok in Australia's innings victory.
Some further seats may become available later in the year when operational requirements such as broadcast camera locations and the size of sightscreens are finalised.
Away from the Ashes, ticket demand for the white-ball matches against India has also far exceeded expectations, with tickets for the third ODI at the SCG and MCG's T20I proving particularly popular, while more than half of available tickets for the opening T20I at Manuka Oval have already been snapped up.
How you can still secure Ashes tickets
Get in now on a day with good availability: There are still plenty of seats available for: Perth Stadium days 2-4, Gabba day 4, Adelaide Oval days 3-4, MCG days 2-4 and SCG day 4
Prepare for the next release: A batch of tickets for all days and venues will be released on Friday June 6.
- Perth Stadium: 2pm AWST | 4pm AEST | 7am BST | Click here
- Gabba: 11am AEST | 2am BST | Click here
- Adelaide Oval: 1pm ACST | 1:30pm AEST | 4:30am BST | Click here
- MCG: 2pm AEST | 5am BST | Click here
- SCG: 3pm AEST | 6am BST | Click here
You will need a priority pre-sale code to access the June 6 release. If you have not already registered, do so here, and be sure to confirm your email address. Codes can take up to 24 hours to arrive.
Try your luck in the public on sale: The final batch of tickets for all days and venues will be released on Friday June 13, at the same times for each venue listed above. For days already sold out, this release will be limited.
Men's T20I Series v South Africa
August 10: First T20I v South Africa, Marrara Stadium, Darwin, 7pm AEST
August 12: Second T20I v South Africa, Marrara Stadium, Darwin, 7pm AEST
August 16: Third T20I v South Africa, Cazalys Stadium, Cairns, 7pm AEST
Men's ODI Series v South Africa
August 19: First ODI v South Africa, Cazalys Stadium, Cairns, 2:30pm AEST
August 22: Second ODI v South Africa, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 2:30pm AEST
August 24: Third ODI v South Africa, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 2:30pm AEST
Men's ODI Series v India
October 19: First ODI v India, Perth Stadium, Perth, 2:30pm AEDT
October 23: Second ODI v India, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 2:30pm AEDT
October 25: Third ODI v India, SCG, Sydney, 2:30pm AEDT
Men's T20I Series v India
October 29: First T20I v India, Manuka Oval, Canberra, 7:15pm AEDT
October 31: Second T20I v India, MCG, Melbourne, 7:15pm AEDT
November 2: Third T20I v India, Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 7:15pm AEDT
November 6: Fourth T20I v India, Gold Coast Stadium, Gold Coast, 7:15pm AEDT
November 8: Fifth T20I v India, The Gabba, Brisbane, 7:15pm AEDT
NRMA Insurance Men's Ashes
November 21-25: First Ashes Test v England, Perth Stadium, 1:30pm AEDT
December 4-8: Second Ashes Test v England, The Gabba, Brisbane (D/N), 3:30pm AEDT
December 17-21: Third Ashes Test v England, Adelaide Oval, 11am AEDT
December 26-30: Fourth Ashes Test v England, MCG, 10:30am AEDT
January 4-8, 2026: Fifth Ashes Test v England, SCG, 10:30am AEDT
Women's T20I Series v India
February 15: SCG, Sydney (N)
February 19: Manuka Oval, Canberra (N)
February 21: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (N)
Women's ODI Series v India
February 24: Allan Border Field, Brisbane (D/N)
February 27: Bellerive Oval, Hobart (D/N)
March 1: CitiPower Centre, Melbourne (D/N)
Women's Test v India
March 6-9: WACA Ground, Perth (D/N)