Which city hosts the annual Boxing Day Test match in Australia?

The annual Boxing Day Test match in Australia is hosted by Melbourne, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The match begins on Boxing Day, 26 December, during Australia’s southern-hemisphere summer. It features Australia against a visiting international team and is one of the most recognizable fixtures in the country’s sporting calendar. The venue is usually called the MCG, an abbreviation for the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The tradition grew from earlier domestic cricket. Victoria and New South Wales had played a first-class match at the MCG over the Christmas period since the 19th century. A Test match was staged over Boxing Day during the 1950–51 Ashes series, but the modern annual pattern developed later. The 1974–75 Ashes match began on 26 December, and the Australian Cricket Board formalized the tradition in 1980.

The city is sometimes confused with Sydney because Sydney traditionally hosts a New Year’s Test. Adelaide and Brisbane also host major Australian Tests, but neither is the established home of the Boxing Day Test. The MCG’s huge crowds make the fixture a defining part of Australia’s Christmas sporting season.