The Wallabies will play the All Blacks at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday 31 July 2027, Rugby Australia announced this week. The Test is part of a multi-year agreement with the Victorian Government that also secures an additional Bledisloe Cup Test in Melbourne in 2029.

A three-Test Bledisloe returns

The announcement means the Bledisloe Cup will revert to a three-Test series in 2027 for the first time since 2021. According to Rugby Australia, the series opens with the first Bledisloe Test on Anzac Day, 25 April, at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, followed by the MCG match and a third Test in New Zealand at a venue to be confirmed.

The ABC reported that Brisbane has also secured the 2029 and 2031 Anzac Day Tests, which, combined with the additional 2029 Melbourne match, has fuelled speculation that a three-Test series could become permanent. Rugby Australia officials were non-committal on that point.

The 2027 home calendar

Rugby Australia has now confirmed the Wallabies’ home Tests before the World Cup:

  • New Zealand, Sunday 25 April, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
  • Argentina, Saturday 10 July, Allianz Stadium, Sydney
  • Argentina, Saturday 17 July, Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
  • New Zealand, Saturday 31 July, MCG, Melbourne
  • Ireland, Saturday 18 September, GIO Stadium, Canberra

The Men’s Rugby World Cup then runs from 1 October to 13 November 2027. The Wallabies’ second pool match, against New Zealand, is scheduled for Accor Stadium in Sydney on 9 October.

Why the MCG

The MCG offers scale. The last time the two teams met there, in 2023, 83,944 people attended, and 90,307 watched the Wallabies’ second Test against the British & Irish Lions at the ground in 2025, a Lions record. Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said: “The Melbourne Cricket Ground is one of the world’s great stadiums – and a jewel in Australia’s sporting crown – and the Wallabies are proud to be hosting the All Blacks at the iconic venue in 2027.”

He noted that the teams have played only four previous Tests at the MCG, winning two each, and that the 2027 match will mark 30 years since they first met there.

The business of hosting

Deals like this reflect intense competition between state governments for major events. Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and others use event funding to attract matches that fill hotels and restaurants and showcase their cities. For Rugby Australia, government support and big-stadium crowds are a major source of revenue, particularly in years without a Lions tour.

The financial terms of the Victorian agreement were not disclosed.

The sporting challenge

The calendar is commercially attractive but demanding. The Wallabies have not held the Bledisloe Cup since 2002, and conceded 93 points across two losses to New Zealand in October 2026, as the ABC noted. Four meetings with the All Blacks in 2027, including the World Cup pool match, will be a defining test for Les Kiss and his squad.

For fans, the MCG says tickets for the Test go on general sale on 29 October 2026.