If there's any chance you'll want to be at Lord's or the Oval for the Ashes next summer, today's the day to do something about it. The ballot for 2027 tickets just opened.

It's free to enter and there's no obligation to buy. If there's a chance you'll want to go, enter now and decide later.

One thing worth knowing before you dive in: this ballot actually covers every England international at home next summer, not just the Ashes. But the Ashes is why most of you are here, since it's the one that'll sell out.

Every host ground runs its own ballot, for its own matches, with its own key dates and deadlines, so you can enter for multiple venues to increase your chances. This email focuses on Lord’s and The Oval as the two London grounds, but I’ve linked out the other Ashes venue ballots below as they are all fairly accessible from London.

Standard adult tickets for the Men’s Ashes will be in the region of £125-£200 per day. The other international matches are expected to be significantly cheaper.

Wherever you enter:

- It's free: no card details needed.

- Entering doesn't commit you to buying anything. If you're successful, you just get a window later to decide whether to buy.

- It's a random draw, not first come first served, so it doesn’t matter when you enter during the ballot window.

- England v Bangladesh, Men’s Test: 28 May–1 June

- England v Australia, Men's Ashes Test: 30 June–4 July

- England v Australia, Women's Ashes ODI: 16 July

- England v New Zealand, Men’s ODI: 16 September

- Opens: Wednesday 2 September

- Closes: Monday 26 October

- Round One winners notified: early November

- Purchase window opens: Tuesday 17 November

- General sale: Thursday 10 December

Enter the Lord's ballot here

The ticket limit varies by match. The Ashes Test is capped at just 2 tickets per person in total — you can apply for multiple days to increase your chances but will only be offered a max of 2 tickets across the entire Test match. The other three matches are far more generous (10, 10 and 4 tickets respectively).

- England v Australia, Women's Ashes IT20: 6 July

- England v Australia, Men's Ashes Test: 29 July–2 August

- Opens: Wednesday 2 September

- Closes: Sunday 15 November

- Results announced: Monday 23 November

- Purchase window opens: Tuesday 24 November

- General sale: TBC, not mentioned in the ballot announcement

Enter the Oval ballot here

Unlike Lord's, the Oval hasn't published a ticket limit for ballot winners — it depends on what's left once Surrey members have had first pick. If you live near the ground and think you'll be at a few games a year, Surrey County Cricket Club membership gets you priority access ahead of the ballot. 2027 prices aren't out yet, but for reference the cheapest 2026 option started at £167. You can register your interest here.

The men's Ashes is a five-Test series, and the ballot for the other three grounds also opened today, on a tighter deadline than London. All close on Tuesday 29 September:

- Trent Bridge, Nottingham: 18–22 June 2027. Enter the ballot here.

- Edgbaston, Birmingham: 8–12 July 2027. Enter the ballot here.

- Utilita Bowl, Southampton: 21–25 July 2027. Enter the ballot here.

Sign up to We Are England Cricket Supporters. It's free, and it's separate from entering the ballot itself: it gives you a shot at a priority window (23–29 September) to buy ahead of the ballot results. The ECB haven't fully spelled out how that interacts with each ground's own ballot, but since it's free and doesn't affect your ballot entry, there's no downside to doing both. Sign up here.

I'll keep an eye on results and let you know if anything changes worth flagging.

Any questions, just hit reply. I read every one.

Louis