Image caption, The month-long Lions tour will travel the length of New Zealand in September 2026 ByCeri Coleman-PhillipsBBC Sport Wales Published 35 minutes ago Sporting history will be made one year from today when the first British and Irish Lions women's team runs out at Auckland's Go Media Stadium.

They will be taking on six-time world champions New Zealand on 11 September 2027 in the first of a three-Test series.

Lions chief executive Ben Calveley says the month-long tour, which was announced in 2024, will be a "hugely significant" milestone and "something truly special for the women's game".

New Zealand Rugby says it is "hugely excited about what's ahead", describing the tour as a "significant moment for rugby globally and a fantastic opportunity for New Zealand to get behind the Black Ferns and some of the world's best players".

And for the individuals chosen to pull on the famous red jersey, it will no doubt be the pinnacle of their rugby careers.

So with the countdown now truly on, BBC Sport takes a look at how preparations are going and if the tour is likely to be a first-time triumph or a live case study for the future.

What we know so far The fixture dates, opposition, cities and host venues were all announced at the start of this year.

The Lions start their tour in the North Island city of Whangarei before travelling down to Auckland for the first Test.

There has been some disappointment expressed that the city's iconic Eden Park was not chosen as a venue after it hosted the 2022 Rugby World Cup final.

A mid-week fixture follows in Hamilton, before the tour heads to the South Island for the second and third Tests in Wellington and Christchurch.

4 Sept, Whangarei, Semenoff Stadium, v Black Ferns XV 11 Sept, first Test - Auckland, Go Media Stadium, v Black Ferns 14 Sept, Hamilton, FMG Stadium Waikato, v Invitational XV 18 Sept, second Test - Wellington, Sky Stadium, v Black Ferns 25 Sept, third Test - Christchurch, One NZ Stadium, v Black Ferns We also know that former England captain Jo Yapp will be the Lions head coach.

She stated from the off that there will be no token selections and will pick the best players possible - which suggests the squad will have a significant England contingent.

Yapp makes history as first Lions Women coach Published 27 May Lions coach Yapp wants elite players on NZ tour Published 9 June Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Auckland's Go Media Stadium has about half the capacity of Eden Park at 25,000 seats What we don't know It remains to be seen who Yapp will select for her backroom staff, but appointments will have to be made sooner rather than later given the impact it could have on the home nations' coaching teams prior to the 2027 Women's Six Nations.

It is understood that conversations are happening now as a priority.

Naturally, speculation has already begun, with Rachel Taylor, Sarah Hunter, Emily Scarratt, Giselle Mather and Susie Appleby among the potential candidates.

The player squad will be announced in May after the Six Nations.

Whether that will be a 38-strong squad like the men's in 2025 remains to be seen.

There is also the question of who will be given the honour of captaining the team, with England's Meg Jones a clear front-runner.

A pre-tour fixture in the UK was mentioned earlier this year, and while we understand that is still going ahead, details are yet to be announced.

Figure caption, Jo Yapp on being first Lions Women coach Is New Zealand set up for success?

Alice Soper, New Zealand rugby journalist and co-host of the Full Credit podcast, says if you ask a random person on the street they would probably be unaware the Lions women are coming next year.

Apart from some marketing worked into Black Ferns communications, she said "it's been quiet", with women's sports coverage on the decline since the 2022 Rugby World Cup.

"In rugby terms, they [New Zealand Rugby] knocked-on what should have been an easy try.

There were so many things they missed to be able to continue that momentum," Soper said.

She also points to poor timing, with the women's domestic leagues having already wrapped up and the small matter of what is happening in Australia a month later.

"The real risk is this tour being lost in the noise," Soper said.

"It's taking place just before the men's Rugby World Cup just across the ditch in Aussie, so the coverage will be wall-to-wall All Blacks at that stage.

"It's a real test for the strength of the home nation's fan base.

The success of this series will rest on them making the trip to Aotearoa to bring the hype.

They bring that full energy and it may just be infectious enough to spur the locals into action." Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Jo Yapp and Rachel Taylor proved a successful coaching team with Barbarians Women Managing expectations British and Irish Lions marketing says "more than 124,000 supporters are expected to enjoy the action in person".

Tickets go on sale at the end of this month, while packages ranging from £1,595 to £14,495 are already available.

There is a worry though that stadia will struggle to sell out, with the Black Ferns' recent attendances languishing around 6,000-10,000.

But recent signs show there is cause for optimism.

The new One NZ Stadium in Christchurch, the third Test venue, is proving a real draw and has worked hard to build a women's rugby fan base.

As a result, 11,793 turned out to watch Matatu take on Chiefs Manawa in June's season opener "New Zealand Rugby has had to start building this audience from scratch," explained Soper.

"They are slowly getting there." Super Rugby Aupiki operated as a fully professional, full-time competition for the first time this year and with firmer pathways now in place, the Black Ferns appear to be, what Soper calls "a team that is here to stay rather than sporadically assembled".

The new WXV Global Series will no doubt provide an easy platform to drum up interest for the Lions tour.

As luck would have it, the Black Ferns will be in the UK later this month for Tests against Scotland and England, before hosting France in three of the Lions' venues in October.

It should at the very least spark up some conversations while we await further announcements.

And for the players and coaches, it is a time to put their hand up for selection and become part of what will be sporting history.