The ICC Champions Trophy is an ODI format cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Following its inception in 1998 as a biennial event, the tournament was rebranded as the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 and changed to a four-yearly event from 2009 onwards. However, it has not been staged since 2017 due to a decision by the council to hold only one major tournament within each format of international cricket.
In an exciting change of heart for ODI fans, the ICC announced in November 2021 that the tournament would be reprised from 2025 onwards. Defending champions from the 2017 edition held in England and Wales, Pakistan, were announced as the tournament host of the ICC Champions Trophy on November 16, 2021. The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will run from February 19 to March 9.
Following the original announcement, the ICC approved the adoption of a hybrid model enabling India to play their matches in Dubai as of December 2024, following an agreement between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). As a result, three of the group matches, potentially along with a semi-final and final, are to be hosted in Dubai as the neutral venue. Catch all the ODI action with ES-Sport.
Participating Teams in Champions Trophy 2025
Pakistan automatically qualified for the competition as hosts and will be joined by the seven highest-ranked teams from the 2023 Cricket World Cup at the group stage. This will be the first occasion when former champions Sri Lanka have failed to qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy, and it will be a debut appearance for Afghanistan. The full list of participating teams includes Pakistan, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa.
ICC Champions Trophy Tournament Format
The Champions Trophy, although described as a ‘mini-world cup,’ differs from the World Cup in several ways. Matches in the Champions Trophy are played over approximately two and a half weeks, whereas the World Cup can exceed one month. There are also fewer teams involved in the Champions Trophy compared to the 10 teams that participated in the latest edition of the World Cup, with the line-up for the Champions Trophy 2025 being 8 teams.
Since 2009, eight teams have played a round-robin format in two pools of four, where the top two teams in each pool progress to the semi-finals. In this scenario, the loss of a single match can potentially lead to elimination. A total of 15 matches are played in the present format of the tournament.
ICC Champions Trophy Fixtures Released
The International Cricket Council released the Champions Trophy fixtures on Tuesday, December 24, 2024.
Defending champions Pakistan and India will join New Zealand and Bangladesh in Group A, with Afghanistan, Australia, England and South Africa contesting Group B.
The tournament opens with Pakistan facing New Zealand in Karachi on February 19, 2025, while India will take on Bangladesh in Dubai the following day.
India will face Pakistan in Dubai as the neutral venue on February 23, 2025, and conclude the group stage with a match against New Zealand on March 2. The eight-team tournament will be held in host country Pakistan and neutral venue Dubai.
In Pakistan, matches will be played in Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi, with three group-stage games hosted at each venue. Lahore will stage the second semi-final and final unless India qualifies. Should India reach the final, then the venue moves to Dubai under the hybrid model.
All Group B games featuring Afghanistan, Australia, England, and South Africa, will be distributed across the three nominated Pakistani venues.
The tournament final will take place on March 9, and reserve days are designated for both semi-finals and the final. ICC Champions Trophy 2025 matches start at 2:00 PM Pakistan Standard Time.
ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 schedule
19 Feb – Pakistan v New Zealand, National Stadium, Karachi
20 Feb – Bangladesh v India, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
21 Feb – Afghanistan v South Africa, National Stadium, Karachi
22 Feb – Australia v England, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
23 Feb – Pakistan v India, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
24 Feb – Bangladesh v New Zealand, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
25 Feb – Australia v South Africa, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
26 Feb – Afghanistan v England, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
27 Feb – Pakistan v Bangladesh, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
28 Feb – Afghanistan v Australia, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
1 Mar – South Africa v England, National Stadium, Karachi
2 Mar – New Zealand v India, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
4 Mar – Semi-final 1, Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai*
5 Mar – Semi-final 2, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore**
9 Mar – Final – Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore***
All matches start at 14h00 Pakistan Standard Time
* Semi-final 1 will involve India if they qualify
**Semi-final 2 will involve Pakistan if they qualify
*** If India qualify for the final it will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Looking Back to the Last Champions Trophy 2017
Pakistan, the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 hosts and defending champions, produced an outstanding performance during the final at London’s Oval cricket ground on June 18, 2017.
Fakhar Zaman lifted Pakistan to 338 for 4 with a sparkling innings of 114 off 106 balls, which won him player of the match. Then, Mohammad Amir stepped up to remove India’s top three batsmen in the first nine overs as Pakistan romped home to claim the Champions Trophy from arch-rivals India with 180 runs to spare.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tournament presents a mouthwatering opportunity for Pakistan and UAE cricket fans alike to watch the cream of international ODI cricket. There is no better way than to join ES-Sport in the stands and get totally immersed in the crackling atmosphere that comes with top-tier cricket at its best.
