In 2027, there will be no men's Ashes Test match in the northern part of England, a situation that stems from a decision made during Australia's last visit in 2023. At that time, a planned Ashes Test at Hampshire's home ground in Southampton was moved to Headingley in Leeds. As a result, Hampshire will now host their first Ashes Test in 2027, while traditional northern venues like Old Trafford in Manchester and Headingley in Leeds will not be part of the men's series that year. Hampshire received over £1 million in compensation from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for the change, and in return, they were given the 2027 Ashes Test. Neither Hampshire nor the ECB has officially commented on the situation. The Ashes venues for the 2023 series were decided in 2018, when Colin Graves was chair of the ECB. Graves, who is now the chair of Yorkshire, had previously held the same role at Headingley. He told The Guardian that he was not involved in the decision-making process for the 2023 matches, saying he left the room when the board discussed venue recommendations. The allocation of matches for the 2023 series was done under the ECB's old 'competitive tender' system, where venues essentially bid financially to host fixtures. The ECB has since shifted to a rotation system, which it claims is more equitable. The new rotation system was supported by all 18 first-class cricket counties and the Marylebone Cricket Club, and it was used to assign major matches up to 2031. From 2031 onward, the ECB plans to host at least one men's Ashes Test in the north of England every series, while Southampton will host a men's Test in every other Ashes series. Both Headingley and Old Trafford have previously hosted men's Ashes Tests in the last two home series. In 2027, the northernmost men's Ashes Test will be held at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, while Headingley will host the only women's Ashes Test. This shift reflects the ECB's ongoing efforts to balance the distribution of major cricket matches across different regions of England.