Australia and England will resume hostilities for one of cricket's greatest prizes when the Ashes get underway on November 21 in Perth.
The old rivals will contest five Test matches across Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney to decide who will claim the famous urn.
Australia have been in possession of the Ashes since a 4-0 win on home soil in 2017/18. They repeated that scoreline in 2021/22 and have drawn 2019 and 2023 series 2-2 in England.
England's most recent victory was in 2015, and they last won in Australia in 2010/11.
They have not won a Test Down Under in three tours and 15 attempts since, underlining the scale of the challenge facing Ben Stokes' side. As players on both sides prepare to contest their places in history, here's everything you need to know about cricket's oldest series.
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What is The Ashes?
The Ashes is a Test cricket series contested between England and Australia that first took place in 1882/83. The 2025/26 encounter is the 74th edition.
Tests are cricket's longest international format, contested over five days and featuring two innings per side.
Every men's Ashes series since 1998/99 has been staged as a five-Test series.
England and Australia play each other in one-day internationals and T20s too, but only Test meetings count for the Ashes in men's cricket.
England and Australia's women's teams compete in a multi-format Ashes, where points accrued over a schedule of Tests, ODIs and T20s are tallied to decide the overall winner.
Why is it called The Ashes?
As part of Australia's tour of England in 1882, they played their hosts in a one-off Test match at The Oval. The tourists won by seven runs after bowling England out for 77 in their second innings.
In the aftermath of the loss, British newspaper The Sporting Times published a satirical obituary for English cricket that said "the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia".
This metaphor was taken on by an England team captained by Ivo Blight went on a "quest to recover those ashes" in the first Ashes series, played over three matches in Australia in 1882/83.
After winning that series 2-1, Blight's team were presented with a small urn believed to contain the ashes of a burnt cricket bail.
Who has won the most Ashes series?
Australia lead the all-time head-to-head in terms of series wins by 34 to 32. The most recent two series in England are among seven overall that have finished all-square. Six of the seven drawn series have resulted in Australia retaining the urn.
Home advantage is a notable factor, with Australia winning 20 to 14 on home turf, while England have 18 wins to 14 on their own grounds. England last won an away Ashes series 15 years ago.
All-time Ashes results
| Played | Australia wins | England wins | Draws | |
| All Tests | 361 | 152 | 112 | 97 |
| Ashes Tests | 345 | 142 | 110 | 93 |
| Ashes Tests in Australia | 172 | 90 | 56 | 26 |
| Ashes Tests in England | 173 | 52 | 54 | 67 |
| All Ashes series | 73 | 34 | 32 | 7 |
| Ashes series in Australia | 36 | 20 | 14 | 2 |
| Ashes series in England | 37 | 14 | 18 | 5 |
How often is The Ashes?
The Ashes take place twice every four years.
The Australian series runs between November and January, roughly two-and-a-half years after the previous series in England has concluded.
Series in England run during the English summer, 18 months after the previous Ashes tour.
2025/26 Ashes schedule
- First Test: Optus Stadium, Perth (November 21-15)
- Second Test (day/night): The Gabba, Brisbane (December 4-8)
- Third Test: Adelaide Oval (December 17-21)
- Fourth Test: Melbourne Cricket Ground (December 26-30)
- Fifth Test: Sydney Cricket Ground (January 5-9)
Why do Australia and England have a rivalry?
The England-Australia rivalry has its roots in colonialism, when Australia was part of the British Empire.
This shared history also contributes to the fact England and Australia also play a lot of the same sports to a high standard.
Although cricket is out in front, with a rich history including flashpoints such as the 1932-33 Bodyline series — when England's aggressive short-pitched fast bowling, targeting Australian batters as a means of quelling the otherworldly Don Bradman, caused a diplomatic incident — clashes between England and Australia in rugby union, rugby league and netball typically have an extra edge.
Both nations tend to rank highly in the Olympics Games medal tables and have enjoyed memorable clashes in track cycling, field hockey and rowing at the Games. When such battles occur, they build upon almost a century and a half of Ashes lore.