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Last checked 2026-10-11 · Source dates below
The Gabba brings Test history, a close city setting and a Queensland holiday together. There is no Test here in 2026–27; the announced return begins in 2027–28. Use this guide to plan a future visit to Woolloongabba.
The Gabba at a glance
There is no Gabba Test in the published 2026–27 Australian international season. Queensland Government has announced a return of Test cricket from 2027–28, continuing through 2031–32. The next match’s opponent, dates and first-ball time are TBC. Keep Brisbane on your future cricket itinerary, but wait for the match announcement before committing to a Test-specific flight or hotel booking.
The Gabba remains a working cricket ground. Australia’s men are scheduled to face England here in a T20 international on 27 November 2026. That is a separate, shorter-format event: check the match format when browsing tickets. A visitor already in Queensland can enjoy the ground without treating that evening as a replacement for several days of Test cricket.
Brisbane’s Test heritage includes Australia and West Indies’ extraordinary tied match in December 1960. Joe Solomon’s final run-out left both teams level and gave the ground one of the game’s defining finishes. Reading that story before a visit adds something to the sight of the pitch: this is a place where the last few balls can become part of cricket history.
Established in 1895, the Gabba takes its familiar name from Woolloongabba. Its modern enclosed bowl creates a different setting from Adelaide’s open northern lawn or Sydney’s old pavilions. For England followers, the ground also carries memories of Ashes opening days, Peter Siddle’s birthday hat-trick and Alastair Cook’s long innings in 2010.
Australia went unbeaten in Gabba Tests for 32 years after their 1988 defeat, until India won here on 19 January 2021. Chasing 328 on the last day, India reached 329 for seven, with Rishabh Pant 89 not out, to win the match by three wickets and the series 2–1. That finish broke the ground’s long home dominance and gave visiting supporters a modern Gabba story to set beside the 1960 tie.
Queensland’s current 2032 plan is to replace the Gabba with the new Brisbane Stadium at Victoria Park after the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Gabba site is intended for an entertainment and housing precinct. This is a relocation plan, not a rebuild of the present cricket bowl, and it gives the remaining scheduled years at Woolloongabba a particular significance.
In September 2026, the Queensland Government announced work on hybrid wicket infrastructure to be developed and tested at the Gabba before transfer to the new stadium. The aim is to carry the pitch’s playing character into the next ground. For visitors, the useful distinction is between the existing Gabba visit described here and a future Victoria Park match, which will need its own travel and seating guide.
For a future Brisbane Test, begin with how much cricket your party wants to watch. Two consecutive days give you time to follow the match and learn the ground’s routines. A single day can work within a wider Queensland holiday, but choose it alongside the journey to Brisbane and the time needed to recover from the flight.
Opening day gives you the toss, a fresh pitch and the start of the contest. Middle days suit visitors who want a developing game without reserving the whole Brisbane stay. Later days can deliver a chase or a close finish, although a Test may finish before then. South Bank and the river provide useful alternatives if your cricket day disappears.
Wait for the next Gabba fixture’s playing hours before making evening plans. The venue has hosted both daytime and day-night Tests, including the 2025 Ashes match under lights. The format affects the hotel breakfast, the journey to Woolloongabba and dinner afterwards. Leave room in your itinerary to enjoy Brisbane outside the ground as well as following every session.
Sources: [7]
No Test in the 2026–27 programme.
Confirm the Gabba Test dates before booking travel.
Use the official match link to Ticketek.
Compare bay, row, shelter and the final booking total.
Book access requirements with Ticketek.
Save ticket delivery and refund information.
Next Test ticket prices will appear with the official match sale. Prices in Australian dollars.
Start a public cricket booking with Cricket Australia’s official event listing, then follow its Gabba ticket link. Ticketek handles the venue’s cricket sales. Select the correct date and check the bay, row and full transaction total before paying. Keep the account login and ticket delivery email accessible on the phone you will take to Australia.
The Gabba Members Reserve has its own entry rules. Eligible full members of reciprocal clubs can apply for access, including Marylebone Cricket Club, Surrey and Warwickshire under the current list. Applicants must live outside Queensland, and guest or associate membership does not qualify. A county membership card by itself is not an admission ticket: follow the Gabba’s application process for the event.
Arrange accessible viewing and a companion together through Ticketek. Describe the route and seating you need before selecting a public seat on a general map. For several days, keep each day’s booking clearly labelled so the group can check its gate and bay without opening the wrong ticket at the entrance.
Use the street names to get your bearings around the Gabba: Vulture Street is to the north, Stanley Street to the south, Main Street to the west and Wellington Road to the east. The ground’s interactive map lets you select seating sections and inspect their views. Match your actual ticket bay to that map before choosing an entrance or meeting point.
An end position gives a view along the pitch; a seat further around the side makes the distance between batter and close fielders easier to judge. The Gabba’s continuous bowl makes height an important choice as well as direction. Compare the upper view of field settings with the closeness of the lower seats, then decide what you want from a whole day’s cricket.
For sun, the eastern side starts with morning light behind it and can face the western sun later. Western seating faces more morning light, with the sun moving behind it in the afternoon. Roof coverage changes by tier and row. Use those broad directions to narrow your search, then check the exact seat if shade is a priority.
Northern seating, with a view towards Stanley Street; compare the exact bay with the current event map.
Eastern side of the bowl; inspect the selected section’s view on the Gabba map.
Southern seating; compare height and the angle along the pitch.
Western side, nearest the Main Street approach; check member or public admission for the chosen bay.
Sources: [10]
For Brisbane cricket, carry a hat, sunscreen, water and a light rain layer in a manageable bag. A long spell in an exposed Gabba row can feel different from a short walk through the city. Put the items you will need during play within reach so you can settle without repeatedly asking neighbours to move.
The Gabba is cashless. Bring a working payment card and check the event’s food, drink and bag rules before packing. If you need medication or equipment, contact the venue beforehand and keep its reply with your ticket. Agree a meeting point using a gate or seating section, especially when children or friends will buy refreshments separately.
Find the closest water point, toilet and first-aid room when you arrive at the Gabba. Take a pause on the concourse if the heat or noise becomes tiring, and tell a member of staff if you need help. For another cricket day, keep the same simple packing routine and charge your phone before returning to Woolloongabba.
Sources: [11]
Use the Translink journey planner for your hotel-to-Gabba route and select the actual event date. Woolloongabba busway station serves the precinct. The venue describes pedestrian approaches from the platforms to Main Street, with arrangements affected by nearby construction. Give yourself time for the final walk around the bowl to the gate printed on your ticket.
Woolloongabba’s new underground railway station is part of Cross River Rail and is not open. The project currently expects first passenger services through the tunnels in 2029. For a Brisbane visit now, plan around the operating bus and rail network; the construction site beside the Gabba is not a usable railway entrance.
There is no public parking inside the Gabba, and local event parking controls make a car less convenient for many city visitors. Check whether your particular match ticket includes eligible public transport, then plan the return journey too. If someone collects you, agree the pickup location before entering the stadium so you can meet without circling busy surrounding roads.
A London–Brisbane flight normally involves a connection. Emirates offers Heathrow itineraries via Dubai, with one published total journey of about 22 hours 55 minutes; other connections take longer. Compare the complete itinerary, arrival date and onward transfer. For a Gabba trip, arriving before your first cricket day gives you time to adjust to the climate and find the busway.
Eligible British Citizen passport holders can apply for an Electronic Travel Authority, subclass 601, through the official Australian ETA app. Check passport eligibility and entry requirements with Home Affairs before travelling. Entry information checked 12 October 2026. If you hold another British passport category, use the government’s guidance for that passport when selecting your visa route.
Brisbane stays on AEST, UTC+10, all year. It is ten hours ahead of the UK during the British winter and nine hours ahead during the British summer. Queensland does not make the seasonal clock change used in Sydney or Melbourne, so include the city name and local time when planning domestic flights between cricket stops.
Bureau of Meteorology averages for Brisbane show mean maximum temperatures of 29.7°C in December and 30.4°C in January. Build cooling breaks and water into a summer Gabba visit, and leave room for rain in your spare-day plans. Take travel insurance suited to your health and activities, including any Queensland excursions you book around the cricket.
South Brisbane suits a Gabba visit built around South Bank, the river and city sightseeing. Compare each property’s route to an operating bus stop, then check the walk at both ends. A convenient hotel for dinner and a quiet afternoon can make several Brisbane nights more enjoyable than choosing only by straight-line distance to the pitch.
Kangaroo Point offers another river-side base, with different approaches to Woolloongabba depending on the address. Look closely at the terrain, crossings and return route if you intend to walk. For a party splitting its time between cricket and sightseeing, agree how everyone will get back to the same hotel after separate daytime plans.
For South Bank, river time and a planned bus journey to the Gabba.
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For a river-side base; compare the exact walk and crossings to Woolloongabba.
Check Kangaroo Point →We may earn a commission if you book through this link.
For central sightseeing and transport connections between Australian cricket stops.
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The CBD works well when Brisbane is one stop on a longer Australian trip. Check the bus connection to Woolloongabba alongside airport travel and your next departure. Keep any provisional Test stay flexible until match dates are published, and choose enough nights to enjoy the city without placing the whole visit on one late day of cricket.
Woolloongabba’s Logan Road dining precinct gives you a reason to stay in the neighbourhood after leaving the ground. Pick a restaurant in advance if you have a group, but allow time for the crowd to clear and for play to finish. A local dinner avoids adding another city journey immediately after a long session in your seat.
South Bank’s River Quay is another option when you want the evening to include the Brisbane River. Kangaroo Point has places to eat around its own streets and waterfront. Choose the dinner area with your hotel and return transport in mind; it is easier to agree that plan before friends disperse from different Gabba bays.
Make a Brisbane day away from the Gabba part of the trip. South Bank and the river can fill a relaxed outing, with a meal by the water and time to walk at your own pace. Keep the longest outdoor stretches for a part of the day that suits the weather, especially after several hours of summer cricket.
Kangaroo Point offers river views and access to the Story Bridge Adventure Climb for visitors who want a more active outing. Visit Brisbane describes a two-hour climb; read the operator’s participation requirements before booking. Others in the group can plan a separate neighbourhood visit and meet afterwards, so nobody has to organise their whole spare day around the same activity.
The Gabba currently says it is not providing public tours. Plan your inside visit around an event ticket, and check the venue if a special opening is announced for your dates. Keep South Bank or Kangaroo Point as the main spare-day plan, so a Brisbane holiday does not depend on obtaining access to the stadium outside a match.
For Gabba hospitality, begin with Cricket Australia’s premium experiences or the venue’s own hospitality team for the event you intend to attend. Ask where you will watch play, which sessions are included and whether the seating is outdoors. A room with refreshments and a shaded match seat are separate details worth settling before paying.
Explain access and dietary needs before accepting a Gabba package, and request the full itinerary for each day. If your group includes both members and public-ticket holders, check whether everyone can enter the same room. Keep the meeting arrangements simple so lunch and breaks remain part of a shared cricket day.
No. Cricket Australia’s published season has no Test at the Gabba.
Queensland Government has announced a return from 2027–28 through 2031–32. Exact dates and opponents for the next Gabba Test are TBC.
The current plan is a new stadium at Victoria Park, with a move after the Games and a different future use for the Gabba site.
The new underground station is not open. Cross River Rail expects first passenger services in 2029; use the operating busway and Translink planner.
Start at Cricket Australia’s official match listing and follow the Ticketek link for the Gabba.
Compare South Brisbane, Kangaroo Point and the CBD by the full route from each hotel to your Gabba entrance.
Book the Gabba viewing position and companion together, then plan the complete journey from your Brisbane hotel. The dedicated accessibility page identifies a Changing Places facility, Quiet Room and a Gate 5 drop-off area.
Plan an accessible Test at The Gabba →