ICC Champions Trophy PAKISTAN 2025

The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy will be the ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy. It will be hosted by Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates from 19 February to 9 March 2025 and will be contested by the top eight ranked men’s national teams qualified from the 2023 Cricket World Cup. Pakistan are the defending champions, having won the previous edition in 2017.


Background

The ICC Champions Trophy is a quadrennial ODI cricket tournament organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Initially held as a biennial tournament since its inaugural edition in 1998 as the ICC Knock Out Trophy, it was rebranded as the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 and has been held as a quadrennial tournament since 2009.

In 2016, the ICC canceled future editions of the Champions Trophy after the 2017 tournament, aiming to have only one major tournament in each format of international cricket. However, in November 2021, as part of the 2024–2031 ICC men’s hosts cycle, the ICC announced the tournament would return from 2025 onwards.


Host Selection

Pakistan was announced as the host of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy on 16 November 2021 as part of the 2024–2031 ICC men’s hosts cycle. This will be the first global tournament hosted by Pakistan after 28 years, since the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team. The last major tournament to take place in the country was the 1996 Cricket World Cup, co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka.

The United Arab Emirates was announced as a co-host due to India’s refusal to play in Pakistan. Matches involving India will be played in UAE.


Format

Eight qualified teams divided into two groups of four will play against the three teams in their respective groups – for a total of twelve matches. The top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage, consisting of two semi-finals and a final. A total of 15 matches will be played over 19 days.


India’s Participation 2025 ICC Champions Trophy

The India–Pakistan cricket rivalry has been significantly impacted by tense political relations. In November 2023, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) discussed compensation with the ICC if India refused to play in Pakistan. In November 2024, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed the ICC that India wouldn’t travel to Pakistan for the tournament, citing security concerns. Pakistan initially rejected the proposed hybrid model but later agreed to neutral venue arrangements.

On 19 December 2024, the ICC announced that India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC events between 2024 and 2027 would be played at neutral venues. This will also apply to the 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup (hosted by India) and the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup (hosted by India and Sri Lanka). Matches involving India in the Champions Trophy will be played in Dubai.


Marketing

On 13 November 2024, the ICC launched a new visual identity for the Champions Trophy, marking its return since 2017. The PCB announced a trophy tour plan, but cities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir were excluded following objections by the BCCI. The global trophy tour commenced in Islamabad and traveled across the eight participating nations, concluding in January 2025 in India before returning to Pakistan.


Qualification

Pakistan qualified for the competition automatically as hosts and was joined by seven other highest-ranked teams from the 2023 Cricket World Cup group stage.

  • Notable Highlights:
    • Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the tournament for the first time.
    • Afghanistan will make their debut appearance in the tournament.

Teams Qualified

Method of QualificationDate of QualificationTeams
Host16 November 2021Pakistan
Top 7 teams from the 2023 Cricket World Cup5 October – 19 November 2023Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa

Venues

Venues in Pakistan

CityStadiumCapacityMatches
KarachiNational Stadium34,2383
LahoreGaddafi Stadium27,0005 (including Semi-final 2 & final[a])
RawalpindiRawalpindi Cricket Stadium15,0003

Venue in United Arab Emirates

CityStadiumCapacityMatches
DubaiDubai International Stadium25,0005 (including Semi-final 1 & final[a])

Match Officials

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Squads

Each team will select a squad of fifteen players for the tournament, with additional traveling reserves. England announced their squad on 22 December 2024, followed by New Zealand, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan on 12 January 2025. Australia and South Africa announced their squads on 13 January, while India announced theirs on 18 January 2025.


Warm-Up Matches

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Group Stage

The group stage matches will be played from 19 February to 2 March 2025. The opening match will feature hosts Pakistan against New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Group A

PosTeamPldWLTNRPtsNRRQualification
1Bangladesh000000Advance to knock-out stage
2India000000
3New Zealand000000
4Pakistan (H)000000

Group B

PosTeamPldWLTNRPtsNRRQualification
1Afghanistan000000Advance to knock-out stage
2Australia000000
3England000000
4South Africa000000

Knockout Stage

The knockout stage will include two semi-finals and a final.

Semi-Finals

DateMatchVenue
4 March 2025Winner Group A vs Runner-up Group BDubai International Cricket Stadium
5 March 2025Winner Group B vs Runner-up Group AGaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Final

DateMatchVenue
9 March 2025TBD vs TBDLahore or Dubai[a]

Notes

  • [a] Final will be held in Dubai only if India qualifies; otherwise, it will be held in Lahore.

References

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