The British & Irish Lions kickstart the 2025 tour of Australia in an uncapped Test against Argentina on Friday 20 June at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. It will be Andy Farrell’s first opportunity to see his squad in action so here are our Lions v Argentina predictions for the game.

The majority of the Lions squad assembled on 8 June in Dublin for a training camp in Portugal before returning to Ireland for the opening game earlier this week. Those from Bath Rugby, Leicester Tigers and Leinster joined earlier this week following the Premiership and URC finals.

Read more: Nine English players to start for Lions v Argentina

Meanwhile Argentina joined up at the start of the week in the Irish capital minus a selection of players who are still involved in the Top 14 finals and therefore unable to play in the game.

Read more: The full British & Irish Lions 2025 squad in full

Lions v Argentina predictions

Rugby World editor Joe Robinson: British & Irish Lions 26-23 Argentina.

With less than two weeks under the belt, Andy Farrell will be hoping his British & Irish Lions side can show signs of progress in their opening game against Argentina. An intense period of training and learning will have likely pushed the squad to the limit but they should be well-rested by the time they come to play.

A strong English contingent will help with elements of continuity and the combination of Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith at half-back is exciting. Then a centre and wing combination of Bundee Aki, Sione Tuipulotu, Tommy Freeman and Duhan van der Merwe is guaranteed to provide front foot ball.

Argentina are a proper test – they are fifth in the world for a reason – however are missing Juan Cruz Mallia and Facundo Isa to club duty, two of their best players. I suspect the Lions will be pushed all the way but have just enough in the back line to squeak through.

Rugby World deputy editor Josh Graham: Lions 27-18 Argentina

The Lions should take the win but it won’t be by a huge margin. The Pumas are still packed with quality despite missing a whole bunch of players on Top 14 duty and this will be a far sterner test than Japan provided four years ago at Murrayfield.

A win and no injuries is what Andy Farrell is looking for but forcing his side to scrap out a result early on will only help build strong foundations for the tour down under that lies ahead.

British & Irish Lions v Argentina details

Read more: All you need to know about the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia

TV Channel: Sky Sports/Now TV (UK & Ireland), S4C (UK), Stand Sport (Australia), Rugby Pass TV (USA)

Related: How to watch the British & Irish Lions wherever you are in the world! 

Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Capacity: 51,700

Fun fact: The undulating roof design of the Aviva isn’t just aesthetic: it was required to reduce shadowing on the nearby homes.

British & Irish Lions v Argentina Head-to-Head

Jonny Wilkinson of the Lions goes past Federico Todeschini of Argentina. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

The British & Irish Lions have faced Argentina on seven occasions through history. The team toured Argentina in 1927 and 1936 before playing the South American team in a pre-tour warm-up ahead of the 2005 tour to New Zealand.

Of those seven games, the Lions have won six and drawn one – the most recent fixture where the teams shared the spoils in a 25-all draw at the Millennium Stadium.

Lions wins: Six (6)
Draws: One (1)
Argentina wins: Zero (0)

How to watch the British & Irish Lions v Argentina

Here is how to watch the British & Irish Lions v Argentina this Friday.

If you are in the UK or Ireland, the game will be broadcast by Sky Sports and Now TV. For information, visit the Sky website.

You can also watch via Now Sports which offers daily (£14.99) and monthly memberships.

If you are on holiday or on the move and want to watch the game, you can use a VPN,  a piece of software that can change your device’s IP address to make it appear to be in any country in the world. NordVPN is currently offering 70% off.

Get over 70% off and £50 worth of Amazon vouchers
Watch the Lions v Argentina by signing up to NordVPN on one of the qualifying two-year plans. There is currently a 70% discount and the opportunity to get an Amazon gift card (value depends on your plan) in your inbox once you’ve surpassed the 30-day trial period.

View Deal

British & Irish Lions v Argentina team news

Andy Farrell’s first Lions team was limited in selection with players from Leinster, Bath and Leicester Tigers only joining the camp earlier this week.

Therefore Farrell has selected an England-heavy line-up with Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith as the half-back combinations and Marcus Smith starting at full-back.

Maro Itoje captains from the second-row alongside Tadhg Beirne while Tom Curry, Jac Morgan and Ben Earl form a mobile and aggressive back-row.

The British & Irish Lions team to face Argentina.

Argentina team v British & Irish Lions

Felipe Contepomi has named a mixed Argentina side with hooker Julián Montoya as captain. Also playing is Harlequins winger Rodrigo Isgró and Bath-bound full-back Santiago Carreras. Missing is Isa, Mallia and Guido Petti who all remain in France for Top 14 finals duty.

Argentina team to face the British & Irish Lions.

Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door.

Follow Rugby World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X.