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Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan To Host An ICC Event After 28 Years

Aakash Saini

Pakistan cricket team [Source: AP photos]Pakistan cricket team [Source: AP photos]

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday, December 24 confirmed Pakistan will indeed be hosting the upcoming 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. While originally intended to be the sole hosts of the tournament, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will be co-hosting the event with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) owing to India’s security reluctance in travelling across the border.

Nonetheless, the 2025 Champions Trophy marks the first ICC event to be hosted by Pakistan in any capacity after a gap of 28 years. The cricket-crazy nation previously co-hosted the 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup alongside India and Sri Lanka.

28 years later, an ICC event comes to Pakistan

On December 24, the ICC unveiled the entire schedule of the 2025 Champions Trophy. The eight-team competition will be hosted by three Pakistan venues, with India’s share of matches to be played at the Dubai International Stadium in the UAE.

As per the schedule, hosts and defending champions Pakistan are placed in Group A alongside Bangladesh, New Zealand and arch-rivals India. The Group B, on the other hand, features remaining competitors like Australia, England, Afghanistan and South Africa.

The Group stage set of fixtures will be played between February 19 and March 2, and the two semifinals will be organized on March 4 and March 5 respectively. The tournament will come to a conclusion on March 9 with the final. Notably, if Team India qualifies for the semifinals and the final, they will play their matches in Dubai. The remaining knockout fixtures will be organized at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi expressed his gratitude to the ICC over granting the hosting rights of the 2025 Champions Trophy to Pakistan. He described the initiative as a “significant milestone” for Pakistan, and claimed that the people of the country are looking forward to extending their “renowned hospitality to all.”