India will play their matches in the next year’s Champions Trophy at a neutral venue, as announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The eight-team tournament is scheduled to be held in Pakistan from February to March. Earlier this month, India informed the ICC that their team would not be traveling to Pakistan for the event due to ongoing political tensions. This will be the first time Pakistan has hosted a global cricket event since 1996.
The Champions Trophy will mark Pakistan’s return as a host for a major cricket tournament in almost three decades. According to an ICC statement, any matches between India and Pakistan in the 2024-27 rights cycle will be played at neutral venues.
This includes the upcoming men’s Champions Trophy, as well as next year’s women’s World Cup in India, and the men’s T20 World Cup in 2026, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Pakistan will also host the women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, with neutral venue arrangements for those matches as well.
The teams participating in the Champions Trophy, in addition to hosts Pakistan, include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa. The ICC has stated that the tournament schedule will be confirmed soon.
Tentative Match Schedule
Here is the provisional schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025:
| Date | Time (IST) | Venue | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 19, 2025 | 2:30 pm | Karachi | Pakistan vs New Zealand |
| February 20, 2025 | 2:30 pm | Neutral | Bangladesh vs India |
| February 21, 2025 | 2:30 pm | Karachi | Afghanistan vs South Africa |
| February 22, 2025 | 2:30 pm | Lahore | Australia vs England |
| February 23, 2025 | 2:30 pm | Neutral | Pakistan vs India |
| February 24, 2025 | 2:30 pm | Rawalpindi | Bangladesh vs New Zealand |
| February 25, 2025 | 2:30 pm | Rawalpindi | Australia vs South Africa |
| February 26, 2025 | 2:30 pm | Lahore | Afghanistan vs England |
| February 27, 2025 | 2:30 pm | Rawalpindi | Pakistan vs Bangladesh |
| February 28, 2025 | 2:30 pm | Lahore | Afghanistan vs Australia |
| March 1, 2025 | 2:30 pm | Karachi | South Africa vs England |
| March 2, 2025 | 2:30 pm | Neutral | New Zealand vs India |
| March 4, 2025 | 2:30 pm | Neutral | Semi-Final (A1 vs B2) |
| March 5, 2025 | 2:30 pm | Neutral | Semi-Final (B1 vs A2) |
| March 9, 2025 | 2:30 pm | Neutral | Final |
| March 10, 2025 | – | Neutral | Reserve Day |
Note: The schedule and venues are tentative and may change. Dubai is expected to host India’s matches, but this is yet to be officially confirmed.