Australia win the 2025-26 Ashes 4-1 and retain the urn
Australia took the five-Test series 4-1 at home, winning the first three Tests, while England won at the MCG to end an 18-Test winless run in Australia.
Australia won the 2025-26 Ashes 4-1, completing the series with a five-wicket victory in the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 8 January 2026. The five Tests were played between 21 November 2025 and 8 January 2026.
How the series unfolded
Australia retained the urn by winning the first three Tests: at Perth by eight wickets, at Brisbane by eight wickets and at Adelaide by 82 runs. The Perth Test finished inside two days. Mitchell Starc took 7/58 in England's first innings and was Player of the Match, and Travis Head made 123 in the chase.
England won the fourth Test at the MCG by four wickets, with Josh Tongue named Player of the Match. It ended a run of 18 Tests without a win in Ashes Tests in Australia, stretching back 14 years.
At Sydney, Head made 163 and was Player of the Match, while Jacob Bethell scored 154 for England. The Test set an SCG attendance record of 211,032. Usman Khawaja played his final Test in the match.
Series awards and figures
Starc won the Compton-Miller Medal as player of the series, with 31 wickets at 19.93. Head was the leading run-scorer with 629 runs, and Joe Root led England with 400. Steve Smith captained Australia in four of the Tests while Pat Cummins recovered from injury.
What it means for the tally
The Ashes dates back to the 1882-83 series, and the winners receive the Waterford Crystal Ashes Trophy, with the original urn kept at the MCC Museum at Lord's. Australia have now won 21 of the 37 series played on home soil. After 74 series overall, Australia have won 35, England 32 and seven have been drawn. Australia hold the Ashes and have won or drawn every series since 2017-18. The next series is in England in 2027, scheduled from 18 June to 2 August.
