2025 ICC Champions Trophy
The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, set to be the ninth edition of the tournament, will take place in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates from 19 February to 9 March 2025. The top eight men's national teams that qualified from the 2023 Cricket World Cup will compete. Pakistan, the winners of the 2017 edition, are the defending champions.
 ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 Logo | |
| Dates | 19 February – 9 March 2025 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | International Cricket Council |
| Cricket format | One Day International |
| Tournament format(s) | Group Stage and Knockout stage |
| Host(s) |  Pakistan United Arab Emirates |
| Participants | 8 |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Official website | icc-cricket.com |
Background
The ICC Champions Trophy is a major ODI cricket tournament organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It began as a biennial event in 1998 under the name ICC KnockOut Trophy. In 2002, it was rebranded as the ICC Champions Trophy and became a quadrennial tournament starting in 2009. The ICC discontinued the event after the 2017 tournament to focus on having one major competition for each format of international cricket.[1] However, in November 2021, the ICC announced the tournament's return as part of the 2024-2031 men's hosts cycle, with the next edition scheduled for 2025.[2]
Host selection
On November 16, 2021, Pakistan was named the host of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy as part of the 2024-2031 ICC men's hosting cycle.[2] It will be the first global tournament to be hosted by Pakistan after 28 years,[3] This will be the first major international cricket tournament hosted by Pakistan in 28 years, since the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team. The last significant event in the country was the 1996 Cricket World Cup, which Pakistan co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka.[4] The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was also designated as a co-host, specifically to accommodate India's refusal to play in Pakistan. Matches involving India will be held in the UAE.[5][6]
Format
The eight qualified teams will be split into two groups of four. Each team will play three matches against the other teams in their group, resulting in a total of 12 group stage matches. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage, which includes two semi-finals and a final. The entire tournament will feature 15 matches played over 19 days.
India's Participation
The intense political tensions between India and Pakistan have significantly affected their cricket rivalry. In November 2023, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) met with the ICC Executive Board to discuss compensation if India declined to play in Pakistan. A year later, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) notified the ICC that India would not travel to Pakistan for the tournament, citing extremist view of Pakistani public towards Hindus and security concers, such as Terrorism against India. In response, Pakistan demanded a written explanation and initially rejected the proposed hybrid hosting model.
Qualified
As the host nation, Pakistan secured automatic qualification for the tournament and was accompanied by seven other top-ranked teams from the group stage of the 2023 Cricket World Cup.[7][8] Notably, this marked the first instance where former champions Sri Lanka did not qualify for the event, whereas Afghanistan made their inaugural appearance in the tournament.[9][10]
| Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Venues | No. of teams | Teams | Total times qualified | Last edition participated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host | 16 November 2021 | N/A | 1 |
Pakistan |
9 | 2017 |
| 2023 Cricket World Cup (Top 7 teams from the previous World Cup, excluding the host) |
5 October – 19 November 2023 |  India |
7 |
 Afghanistan |
1 | N/A |
 Australia |
9 | 2017 | ||||
 Bangladesh |
6 | 2017 | ||||
 England |
9 | 2017 | ||||
| India |
9 | 2017 | ||||
 New Zealand |
9 | 2017 | ||||
 South Africa |
9 | 2017 | ||||
| Total | 8 |
Venues
In December 2022, the Government of Pakistan granted the Pakistan Cricket Board permission to build a new cricket stadium in Islamabad specifically for the tournament.[11] On 28 April 2024, Pakistan put forward three current venues to host the matches.[12] The games will take place in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi, while India is set to play in Dubai.[13]
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Officials in the Matches
On 5 February 2025, the ICC published the names of match referees and umpires designated for the tournament.[14] Following this, the schedule for the match officials during the group stage was announced on 10 February 2025.[15]
- Match referees
- Umpires
Groups
On 24 December 2024, the ICC revealed the groups and their respective fixtures for the tournament, with group stage matches scheduled to take place from 19 February to 2 March 2025. The eight participating teams were split into two groups of four, where each team would compete against the other three in their group, resulting in a total of 12 matches.[5] The tournament kicked off with the opening match between the host nation Pakistan and New Zealand on 19 February at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Broadcasting
The Star Sports network manages the global broadcasting rights for the tournament as part of their agreement with the ICC. The Champions Trophy will be available for live streaming on ICC.tv worldwide, except in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, and Pakistan. Furthermore, it can be accessed on specific platforms in various regions.
| Region | Country/Sub-region | Broadcasting licensee(s) | Broadcasting platforms | Radio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | Middle East and North Africa | E& | CricLife Max StarzPlay |
N/A |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | SuperSport | SS Cricket DStv | ||
| Americas | Canada | Willow | Willow TV Cricbuzz | |
| Caribbean Islands | ESPN | ESPN Caribbean ESPN Play | ||
| United States | Willow | Willow TV Cricbuzz | ||
| Asia | Afghanistan | ATN | Ariana TV | |
| Bangladesh | TSM | T Sports and Nagorik TV Toffee |
Radio Shadhin and Radio Bhumi | |
| India | Disney Star | Star Sports and TV18 JioHotstar |
All India Radio | |
| Pakistan | PTV | PTV Sports | Hum FM | |
| Ten Sports | Ten Sports | |||
| Singapore | StarHub[19] | Hub Sports[19] | N/A | |
| Sri Lanka | Maharaja TV | TV 1 | Lakhanda radio | |
| United Arab Emirates | N/A | Talk 100.3FM and Big 106.2 | ||
| Europe | Ireland | Sky Sports | Sky Sports Cricket | N/A |
| Netherlands | NOS[19] | NOS[19] | ||
| United Kingdom | Sky Sports | Sky Sports Cricket Sky Go |
BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra | |
| Oceania | Australia | Amazon | Prime Video | N/A |
| New Zealand | Sky TV NZ | Sky Sport | ||
| Papua New Guinea | PNG Digicel | TVWan | ||
References
- ↑ "Test Championship to replace Champions Trophy". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "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.
- ↑ "Pakistan set to host ICC event after 28 years". Pakistan Cricket Board. 24 December 2024.
- ↑ "When was the last time Pakistan hosted an ICC tournament?". Sporting News. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 icc (2024-12-24). "ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 schedule announced". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
- ↑ "India to play Champions Trophy on neutral ground, not Pakistan". 19 December 2024. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ↑ "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. 2021-06-01. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
- ↑ "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. Archived from the original on 22 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
- ↑ "Match officials announced for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025". International Cricket Council. 5 February 2025. Archived from the original on 5 February 2025. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
- ↑ "Match officials' schedule confirmed for ICC Champions Trophy 2025 group stages". ICC. 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
- ↑ icc. "Official Broadcasters | ICC Champions Trophy, 2025". icc. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
- ↑ icc (2025-02-15). "Broadcast Details for ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 announced". International Cricket Council. Archived from the original on 15 February 2025. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
- ↑ icc (2025-02-15). "ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Ultimate Guide: Everything you need to know". International Cricket Council. Archived from the original on 18 February 2025. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 "Champions Trophy 2025 schedule: Will broadcasters demand T20 format again?". Business Standard. December 12, 2024.