Qatar Airways, the state-owned national airline carrier of the Gulf state, has become the title sponsor for the British and Irish Lions’ 2025 rugby union tour of Australia.

That tour - to be named the Qatar Airways Lions Men’s Series - will run between June 28 and August 2.

Through a tie-up with the touring organization and Rugby Australia unveiled today (brokered by the Pitch International agency), Qatar Airways also becomes the official airline of the three-test tour.

In early 2023, the Lions and Rugby Australia launched a joint venture to combine their respective commercial offerings for the tour and brought in CSM as its exclusive sponsorship agent.

The brand now adds title sponsorship of a Lions tour to its existing rugby union partnership portfolio - which already includes deals with the European Professional Club Rugby and United Rugby Championship bodies, among other associations.

In other sports, meanwhile, the airline was announced as the training kit partner of Italian Serie A champions Inter Milan, earlier this month.

The Australia tour marks the first time since 2013 that the country will play host to the Lions, which as a side is made up of players from England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.

The three tests are set for July 18 (Brisbane), July 26 (Melbourne), and August 2 (Sydney).

In mid-October, the Lions unveiled IMG, the global sports and entertainment giant, as their worldwide licensing agency through 2027.

The most recent commercial tie-up for the tour came in late May when UK-based premium menswear brand Charles Tyrwhitt came on board.

Other partners for next year’s tour include Howden, Canterbury, and Fanatics.

The Castle Lager brewery brand acted as title sponsor for the previous Lions tour, of South Africa in 2021.