England’s Ashes tour of Australia will begin on December 8 in Brisbane and for the first time since 1994-95, the final Test will be held in Perth.
The second Test will be a day-nighter in Adelaide (16-20 December) before the traditional Melbourne Boxing Day Test (26-30 December).
Sydney will host the fourth Test (5-9 January), before a potential decider at Perth’s Optus Stadium (14-18 January).
England need to win the series to regain the Ashes after a 2-2 draw in England in 2019 saw Australia retain the urn in lieu of their 4-0 series win two years previous.
Australia men are not due to play any Test cricket before the series, meaning they will not have played any international red-ball cricket since losing 2-1 to India in January.
The Ashes follows the men’s ICC T20 World Cup in India, with the final due to be held on 13 November.
It is just the fifth time post-Second World War the series has started in December, with only 1965-66 starting later on 10 December, meaning it will be the latest finish to an Ashes series since 1994-95, which finished in February. England have only won one Test in Perth since the war - by 166 runs on the 1978-79 tour - and have lost nine and drawn three.
Speaking on Tuesday, England men’s head coach Chris Silverwood said: “We want to travel to Australia fitter, faster, leaner and more ready than ever before.
“We want to get off that plane and be full of confidence from the summer and that will take us through.”
Both series could take place without any England fans, with the Australian government saying they intend to keep overseas travel at low levels until at least halfway through 2022.
Ashes schedule
First Test: 8-12 December - Gabba, Brisbane
Second Test: 16-20 December - Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Third Test: 26-30 December - MCG, Melbourne
Fourth Test: 5-9 January - SCG, Sydney
Fifth Test: 14-18 January - Optus Stadium, Perth (bbcsports)