The encounter, a key part of Lions coach Sir Clive Woodward's tour planning, will take place on May 23, just 48 hours before the squad and management head for New Zealand.

The match seems certain to attract a 70,000-plus capacity crowd at the Millennium Stadium, and the game will also be shown live on television.

It is a key match for the Lions, as Argentina will provide a tough pre-tour fixture that will set the tone for the challenges that will face us in New Zealand, said Lions tour manager Bill Beaumont.

Staging the game at the Millennium Stadium will provide a unique opportunity for countless Lions fans to see the team on home soil and give the players an amazing send-off to New Zealand.

It will be the Lions' first appearance in Cardiff since 1986 when they played a World XV to celebrate the International Rugby Board's centenary.

The Millennium Stadium put forward the most impressive tender in the pitch process to win the bid to stage this high profile game, said Lions chief executive John Feehan.

I have no doubt that this is the perfect venue for the Lions to kick off their 2005 campaign.

England and Scotland were also in the running to stage the fixture, but the Millennium Stadium came up trumps. As well as the Lions match, the stadium will also stage the FA Cup Final and three Football League play-off finals in May.

Hosting the Lions' home test is a fantastic coup for the Millennium Stadium and for Wales,  said Welsh Rugby Union chief executive David Moffett.

The Lions have only played in Europe on five previous occasions, three of which were staged in Wales.

Ticket prices will range from £23 to £56, with the Welsh, English, Scottish and Irish rugby unions all receiving exactly the same ticket allocation.

Meanwhile, Woodward is likely to reveal his first Lions selection hand before this seasons RBS 6 Nations Championship kicks off.

An extended preliminary player list - around 60 or 70 in terms of personnel - will probably be announced in January, with the final 44-strong squad for New Zealand revealed post-Six Nations.

Feehan also hopes the Lions management team can be unveiled by late October.

We had hoped to have a press conference at the end of September, start of October, but it has drifted out a couple of weeks purely for logistical reasons, he said.