2025 ICC Champions Trophy
 | |
| Dates | 19 February – 9 March 2025 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | International Cricket Council |
| Cricket format | One Day International |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and Knockout |
| Host(s) |  Pakistan |
| Participants | 8 |
| Matches | 15 |
| Official website | ICC Champions Trophy |
The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy will be the ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, a cricket tournament that will be contested by top eight ranked One Day International (ODI) men's national teams. It will be organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It will be hosted by Pakistan from 19 February to 9 March 2025. Pakistan are the defending champions, having won the previous edition in 2017.
Background
In 2016, the ICC cancelled future editions of the Champions Trophy after the 2017 tournament, aiming to have only one major tournament in each format of international cricket.[1] In November 2021, however, they announced that the tournament would return in 2025.[2]
In December 2022, Ramiz Raja, the former chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board, was given approval by the government for the construction of a new "high-tech" cricket stadium in Islamabad as one of the venues for the tournament.[3]
Hosting
Pakistan was announced as the host of the ICC Champions Trophy on 16 November 2021, during the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.[2] It will be first global tournament that Pakistan has been the sole host for since the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team.[4] The last major tournament to take place in the country was the 1996 Cricket World Cup which it co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka.
India's participation
In November 2023, during the 2023 Cricket World Cup, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) top officials met the ICC Executive Board seeking compensation if the Indian cricket team refuses to visit Pakistan for the tournament citing political and security concerns and the tournament is hosted in the 'hybrid-model'.[5][6] In November 2024, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that the Indian cricket team will not travel to Pakistan for the competition due to security concerns and disapproval from the Government of India.[7]
Qualification
Pakistan qualified for the competition automatically as hosts. They were joined by the seven other highest-ranked teams from the 2023 Cricket World Cup group stage.[8] This was the first time former champions Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the tournament, while Afghanistan will make their first appearance in this tournament.[9][10][11]
| Means of qualification | Date | Teams | Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host nation | 16 November 2021 | 1 | Pakistan
|
| 2023 Cricket World Cup (Top 7 teams from the tournament excluding host) |
5 October – 19 November 2023 | 7 |  Afghanistan
|
 Australia
| |||
 Bangladesh
| |||
 England
| |||
 India
| |||
 New Zealand
| |||
 South Africa
| |||
| 8 |
Venues
On 28 April 2024, three venues were reported to be proposed for the event by Pakistan.[12] The venues are Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. India was scheduled to play the entire tournament in Lahore,[13] but it is now uncertain based on India's disapproval from playing in Pakistan due to security reasons.[7]
| City | Karachi | Lahore | Rawalpindi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Stadium | National Stadium | Gaddafi Stadium | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium |
| Capacity | 34,238 | 27,000 | 15,000 |
Group stage
The schedule for the upcoming tournament has not been finalized and is under consideration. This is after India refused to travel to Pakistan, thus casting shadow over hosting the tournament in Pakistan.[6]
Knockout stage
Bracket
The tournament bracket is shown below, with bold denoting the winners of each match.
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| A1 | Winner of Group A | ||||||||
| B2 | Runner-up of Group B | ||||||||
| SF1W | Winner of Semi-final 1 | ||||||||
| SF2W | Winner of Semi-final 2 | ||||||||
| B1 | Winner of Group B | ||||||||
| A2 | Runner-up of Group A | ||||||||
Semi-finals
Final
References
- ^ "Test Championship to replace Champions Trophy". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ a b "USA to stage T20 World Cup: 2024-2031 ICC Men's tournament hosts confirmed". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "Government gives PCB green light to build stadium in Islamabad". DAWN. 2 January 2022.
- ^ "USA co-hosts for 2024 T20 WC, Pakistan gets 2025 Champions Trophy, India and Bangladesh 2031 World Cup". ESPNcricinfo.
It is also a shot in the arm for the PCB which has worked very hard to bring back international cricket after the disruption caused by the 2009 terrorist attacks.
- ^ "PCB Asks For Compensation From ICC If India Refuse To Play Champions Trophy 2025: Report | Cricket News". NDTVSports.com. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Champions Trophy to be shifted out of Pakistan or held in hybrid model: Reports". mint. 27 November 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ a b "India will not travel to Pakistan for 2025 Champions Trophy". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
- ^ "2025 Champions Trophy qualification at stake during ODI World Cup". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "ICC announces expansion of global events". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ "EXPLAINED: Which Teams Have Qualified For ICC Champions Trophy 2025 After End Of World Cup Preliminary Stage". TimesNow. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ "Sri Lanka Fail To Qualify For ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Scheduled To Take Place In Pakistan". Zee News. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ "PCB proposes three venues for 2025 Champions Trophy". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ "Champions Trophy 2025: PCB draft schedule has all India games in Lahore". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
