Ed Sheeran is heading back to his roots to celebrate the release of his upcoming album Play. On Friday (May 2), he revealed a series of concerts scheduled this summer at Portman Road stadium in Ipswich — the home ground of his favorite football club, Ipswich Town FC.
The performances will take place on July 11, 12, and 13, with a different set of guest artists each night. Night one will feature Myles Smith and Tori Kelly, night two includes Busted and Dylan, and the final show will bring James Blunt and Maisie Peters to the stage. In a promotional video for the shows — set to his new track “Old Phone” — Sheeran is seen painting pitch lines on the stadium field, accompanied by a heartfelt note about the personal importance of the venue.
“Something incredibly exciting to announce. One of the first ever concerts I went to as a kid was at Ipswich Town Portman Road to see Elton John,” he wrote. “James Blunt opened for him, and I got so obsessed with James’ music, it really shaped me as a singer songwriter from then on. I started doing shows around ipswich as a young teenager, in pubs and bars, then moved to London to ‘make it’ because that’s what you did back then. Then things took off for me and I toured the world, but never ended up playing ipswich really, for whatever reason, but mostly because I lived there and thought if I’m gonna do it, it has to be special.”
Sheeran shared that he had hoped to perform at Portman Road back in 2019 after completing his Divide tour, but scheduling conflicts with the football season forced him to look elsewhere. “It’s always been such a dream to play Portman Road that I kept badgering the @ipswichtown team, but because I tour so much and football is very rigid in their schedule I always missed the opportunity to play it,” Sheeran added. “Fast forward to now, having become an investor in Ipswich Town, I got a bit more sway and asked if I could launch my new record there, as a one off weekend of shows, and they agreed. I play all around the world, in such amazing stadiums, but nothing means as much as this one here. This really is a true home coming, and is 3 nights only. It’ll be such a special weekend of shows, with a killer line up (shout out @jamesblunt for coming back and completing the circle).”
Fans can get early access to tickets by pre-ordering Play via Sheeran’s official store before 3 p.m. BST on Tuesday (May 6). The pre-sale begins at 10 a.m. BST on Wednesday (May 7), followed by general sales starting Friday (May 9) at 10 a.m. BST. Full ticket details are available online here.
Sheeran also recently shared details of his eighth studio album, Play, set for release on September 12 through Gingerbread Man Records/Atlantic Records. The album, which follows 2023’s Autumn Variations, includes the nostalgic “Old Phone” and a Persian-influenced lead single titled “Azizam.”
Check out the poster and video pitch for Sheeran’s Ipswich Town shows below.
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Ed’s bringing Play to @ipswichtown 11th, 12th and 13th July, we’re taking over Portman Road to celebrate all things Play ▶️ https://t.co/YBgkCwlrYD
Pre-order Play from the official store by 3pm BST on Tuesday 6th May to get early access to pre-sale tickets for the shows.… pic.twitter.com/PuRJXuEVnn
— Ed Sheeran HQ (@edsheeran) May 2, 2025
We are delighted to announce that @edsheeran will be playing three live shows at Portman Road this summer! ️
— Ipswich Town (@IpswichTown) May 2, 2025
