2025 ICC Champions Trophy
Background
The ICC Champions Trophy is a quadrennial ODI cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Initially held as a biennial tournament since its inaugural edition in 1998 as ICC KnockOut Trophy, it was rebranded as ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 and has been held as a quadrennial tournament since 2009. 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. However in November 2021 as part of the 2024-2031 ICC men's hosts cycle, ICC announced that 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. It will be the first global tournament to be hosted by Pakistan 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 which it co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka.
Format
Eight qualified teams divided into two groups of four, will play against the three teams in their respecrive group – for a total of ten matches – and the top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage. The knockout stage will consist of 2 semi-finals and a final. A total of 15 matches will be played over 19 days.
India's participation
The India–Pakistan cricket rivalry has been severely impacted by the tense political relations between the two nations. In November 2023, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) met with the ICC Executive Board to discuss compensation if India refused to play in Pakistan. A year later, 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 demanded a written explanation and initially rejected the proposed hybrid model.
Neutral venue arrangements
On 19 December 2024, following an agreement between BCCI and PCB, the ICC in an update issued on India and Pakistan hosted matches at ICC events, established that the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy set to be played in February and March 2025 will be played across Pakistan and a neutral venue. The ICC board confirmed that India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC events between 2024 and 2027 will be played at a neutral venue. This will apply also 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). It was also announced that Pakistan has been awarded hosting rights of the 2028 Women's T20 World Cup, where neutral venue arrangements will also apply. The fixtures were announced on 24 December 2024, along with the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, UAE as the neutral venue for the tournament.
Marketing
On 13 November 2024, The ICC launched a brand-new visual identity for the Champions Trophy with the release of a brand launch video, as the men’s event will return for the first time since 2017. On 14 November 2024, The PCB announced the schedule for trophy tour in the cities of Skardu, Hunza, and Muzaffarabad, located in the region of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The PCB's plan to take the trophy to cities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir cities was objected to by the BCCI. On 16 November 2024, the ICC officially announced the global trophy tour for the Champions Trophy starting in Islamabad, with the cities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir excluded. The prestigious silverware journeyed across the eight participating nations. The global trophy tour will conclude with India in January, as the trophy goes back 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. This was the first time former champions Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the tournament, while Afghanistan will make their debut appearance in the tournament.
| Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Venues | No. of teams | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host | 16 November 2021 | — | 1 |
 Pakistan
|
| 2023 Cricket World Cup (Top 7 teams from the previous World Cup, excluding host) |
5 October – 19 November 2023 |  India |
7 |
 Afghanistan
|
 Australia
| ||||
 Bangladesh
| ||||
 England
| ||||
| India
| ||||
 New Zealand
| ||||
 South Africa
| ||||
| Total | 8 |
Venues
In December 2022, the Pakistan Cricket Board was given approval by the Government of Pakistan for the construction of a new cricket stadium in Islamabad for the tournament. On 28 April 2024, three existing venues were proposed for the event by Pakistan. The matches will be hosted in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi with India playing in Dubai.
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Squads
England became the first team to announce their squad on 22 December 2024.
Group stage
The International Cricket Council announced the groups and its fixtures on 24 December 2024, with the group stage matches being played from 19 February to 2 March 2025. The eight teams were divided into two groups of four with each team facing the other three teams in the group for a total of 15 matches. The opening match will be played between hosts Pakistan and New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi.
| Group stage | |
|---|---|
| Group A | Group B |
| Source: ESPNcricinfo | |
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | NRR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangladesh
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | Top two to advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | India
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | New Zealand
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | Pakistan (H)
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | NRR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afghanistan
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | Top two to advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Australia
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | England
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | South Africa
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Knockout stage
The knockout stage will consist of two semi-finals, played at Dubai on 4 March and Lahore on 5 March, and the final, at Dubai or Lahore on 9 March.
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
Notes
Citations
- ^ "Test Championship to replace Champions Trophy". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ "USA to stage T20 World Cup: 2024-2031 ICC Men's tournament hosts confirmed". International Cricket Council. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
- ^ "USA co-hosts for 2024 T20 WC, Pakistan gets 2025 Champions Trophy, India and Bangladesh 2031 World Cup". ESPNcricinfo. 16 November 2021. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "When was the last time Pakistan hosted an ICC tournament?". Sporting News. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "Official fixtures announced for ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025". ICC. 24 December 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ "PCB Asks For Compensation From ICC If India Refuse To Play Champions Trophy 2025: Report". NDTV. 27 November 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ "Champions Trophy to be shifted out of Pakistan or held in hybrid model: Reports". Live Mint. 27 November 2023. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
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- ^ "Where will the Champions Trophy be played? ICC to take final call after November 29 meeting". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
- ^ "Update issued on India and Pakistan hosted matches at ICC events". ICC. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
- ^ "India to play Champions Trophy matches at neutral venue | cricket.com.au". www.cricket.com.au. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ A new era for the Champions Trophy. Retrieved 13 November 2024 – via ICC.
- ^ "ICC launch a refreshed visual identity for the men's and women's Champions Trophy". ICC. 13 November 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ "BCCI objects to PCB's Champions Trophy tour to Muzaffarabad". ESPN Cricinfo. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
- ^ "ICC announces global Trophy Tour ahead of Men's Champions Trophy 2025". ICC. 16 November 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ "2025 Champions Trophy qualification at stake during ODI World Cup". ESPNcricinfo. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Which Teams Have Qualified For ICC Champions Trophy 2025 After End Of World Cup Preliminary Stage". Times Now. 13 November 2023. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "ICC announces expansion of global events". International Cricket Council (Press release). 1 June 2021. Archived from the original on 1 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Sri Lanka Fail To Qualify For ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Scheduled To Take Place In Pakistan". Zee News. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Government gives PCB green light to build stadium in Islamabad". Dawn News. 2 January 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "PCB proposes three venues for 2025 Champions Trophy". ESPNcricinfo. 28 April 2024. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Champions Trophy: India vs Pakistan on February 23 in UAE". ESPNcricinfo. 22 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
- ^ "England name squads for India tour and Champions Trophy 2025". International Cricket Council. 22 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
- ^ 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, points table standings at ESPNcricinfo
