The ICC Champions Trophy has finally returned after an eight-year break. Although scheduled to be held every four years after the 2009 edition, the tournament didn’t take place in 2021. In fact, after the last edition in 2017, when Pakistan lifted the trophy, there were discussions about scrapping the competition altogether.
The Champions Trophy is now back for its ninth edition and is set to take place from February 19 to March 9, 2025. As excitement builds, this article covers everything you need to know about the tournament. But before we dive right in, you can click here anytime to bet on your favorite cricket events.
The ICC Champions Trophy: Brief History
The ICC Champions Trophy is an ODI tournament that officially began in 1998 as the ICC Knockout Trophy. It’s a One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to raise funds for developing cricket in non-test-playing countries. At the time of launch, it was determined that it would be held every two years, with all ICC member nations competing.
The ICC Champions Trophy follows the same ODI format as the Cricket World Cup, and like the World Cup, it was later scheduled to take place every four years. Although the ICC Champions Trophy isn’t as big in scale, it still draws significant viewership and engagement from fans.
The tournament’s first edition took place in 1998 and was hosted by Bangladesh. Nine teams participated, with South Africa emerging as the champions. So far, the tournament has been held eight times: in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013, and 2017.
2025 ICC Champions Trophy: Host and Participating Teams
The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy will be jointly hosted by Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. The tournament will be contested among the eight top-ranked ODI teams in the world. Namely:
- Bangladesh
- India
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- Afghanistan
- Australia
- England
- South Africa
Pakistan hopes to defend its title against the likes of India and Australia, who have been champions twice. And while England, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh will be hoping for their first title, New Zealand and South Africa will be looking to add a second.
Tournament Format
The tournament format has varied over the years. This year’s edition will feature a group stage format, followed by a knockout phase. The eight competing teams are divided into two groups of four, where they will face off in a single round-robin format. That is, each team plays against every other team once.
The groups are structured thus:
- Group A: Bangladesh, India, New Zealand and Pakistan.
- Group B: Afghanistan, Australia, England and South Africa.
The top two teams from each group will proceed to the knockout phase, where the winner of Group A faces the runner-up from Group B, and the winner of Group B faces the runner-up from Group A. The winner from each semi-final game will then face off in the final, where the trophy winner will be decided.
Venue and Schedule
The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy will be played across four stadiums, three in Pakistan and one in the United Arab Emirates. The venues are as follows:
- National Stadium, Karachi (34,238).
- Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore (34,000).
- Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi (15,000)
- Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai (25,000).
The tournament group stage is set to kick off with Pakistan facing New Zealand in the Group A match on the 19th. There will, however, be some warm-up matches before the group stage, but the ICC has not yet released the warm-up matches fixture for the tournament.
The group stage will run from the 19th of February to the 2nd of March when India will face New Zealand. The fixture schedule is outlined in the table below:
| Date | Match | Venue |
| 19 February 2025 | Pakistan vs New Zealand | National Stadium. |
| 20 February 2025 | Bangladesh vs India | Dubai International Cricket Stadium. |
| 21 February 2025 | Afghanistan vs South Africa | National Stadium. |
| 22 February 2025 | Australia vs England | Gaddafi Stadium. |
| 23 February 2025 | Pakistan vs India | Dubai International Cricket Stadium. |
| 24 February 2025 | Bangladesh vs New Zealand | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. |
| 25 February 2025 | Australia vs South Africa | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. |
| 26 February 2025 | Afghanistan vs England | Gaddafi Stadium. |
| 27 February 2025 | Pakistan vs Bangladesh | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. |
| 28 February 2025 | Afghanistan vs Australia | Gaddafi Stadium. |
| 1 March 2025 | England vs South Africa | National Stadium. |
| 2 March 2025 | India vs New Zealand | Dubai International Cricket Stadium. |
The first semi-final game is scheduled to take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on the fourth of March, while the second will take place at the Gaddafi Stadium on the fifth. The venue for the final game has not been decided yet, but it is scheduled to take place on the ninth of March.
Conclusion
After eight long years, the cricket world will witness the ICC Champions Trophy again. This tournament combines the top cricketing nations, so without a doubt, it’s going to be an exciting spectacle for fans and enthusiasts worldwide.
