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 ā 9 March 2025 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | International Cricket Council |
| Cricket format | One Day International |
| Tournament format(s) | Group Stage and Knockout stage |
| Host(s) |  Ā Pakistan Ā 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.
References
- ā "Test Championship to replace Champions Trophy". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ā 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.
- ā "Pakistan set to host ICC event after 28 years". Pakistan Cricket Board. 24 December 2024.
- ā "When was the last time Pakistan hosted an ICC tournament?". Sporting News. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ā Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:3 - ā "India to play Champions Trophy on neutral ground, not Pakistan". 19 December 2024. Retrieved 2025-01-03.