A Detailed Guide to the 2025 Champions Trophy

After an eight-year hiatus, the Champions Trophy returns in 2025, an ODI tournament featuring the top eight sides in the world. As the defending champions, Pakistan has hosting rights, but because of India’s refusal to travel to their neighbours, the so-called hybrid model has been adopted. That will see India play their matches in Dubai; at least one semi-final and possibly the final itself will also be played there.

This article provides more details on the 2025 Champions Trophy, including which teams are involved and where the matches are being played. It also provides an overview of the ICC Champions Trophy schedule.

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2025 champions trophy

The Champions Trophy history and background

Originally known as the ICC Knockout Trophy (it was rebranded in 2002), the Champions Trophy was designed by the ICC (International Cricket Council) to raise funds for the development of cricket in non-test-playing nations. It remains a major international tournament with the same format—50 overs a side—as another major competition, the World Cup.

First contested in 1998, it was played biennially until 2006. There was then a three-year gap to the next tournament, and it was played every four years until 2017. No tournament was held in 2021; the ICC converted it into a T20 event. At the time, it appeared to have fallen victim to the ICC’s rescheduling of international cricket and the rise of T20 cricket, proving to have greater appeal to younger audience members. There was, therefore, a surprise in some quarters when it was announced it was returning in 2025, and with India announced as the host for 2029, its immediate future appears assured.

Whilst the ICC may claim that its restoration to the sporting calendar is in response to fan demand, the reality is that commercial reasons have driven it. In the past, it has proved to be a money-spinner both in terms of sponsorship and other commercial ties and with no other major men’s tournaments scheduled for 2025, this is a chance for the ICC to keep its coffers filled.

Previous winners

Australia is the only side to have won the tournament twice outright, making them the most successful team in the competition’s history (India also won it twice, but one of those victories was shared with Sri Lanka). Their two triumphs came back-to-back in 2006 and 2009. South Africa was the inaugural winners in 1998, while New Zealand, the West Indies, Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan have also held the Trophy aloft.

The 2017 Final

The last time the tournament was held, back in 2017, England was the host, with the Oval hosting the final. That saw arguably the bitterest rivals in world cricket, Pakistan and India, pitted against each other. Whilst India have tended to come out on top in recent years in these matches, this time, the story was different. 

When put into bat, Pakistan made 338/4 from their 50 overs. Opener Fakhar Zaman produced a Player of the Match performance with an innings of 114, backed up by half-centuries from Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez.

Despite a defiant knock of 76 from Hardik Pandya, India were then bowled out for just 158, with three wickets each for Mohammad Amir and Hasan Ali. The 180-run victory also gave Pakistan hosting rights the next time the tournament was played, meaning that, because of the tense political and diplomatic relations between the two countries, tensions with India were always set to dominate the discourse.

For Pakistan, hosting the tournament is a matter of national pride, with many regard it as ending their status as international pariahs. The 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus saw them forced to play all their home matches abroad for a decade, and teams only began touring again after that. They want to demonstrate that they can now safely stage an international event of this magnitude.

The teams

Although more teams participated in the competition in the early years, it has been settled at eight since 2009 (making it a more condensed event than World Cups, for example). Pakistan, as the host, qualified automatically. The other teams—Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, South Africa, and New Zealand—earned their place because they were the top seven finishers in the last World Cup (ODI version) played in 2023.

The teams have been initially segregated into two groups of four. Group A consists of Bangladesh, India, New Zealand, and Pakistan, while Group B contains Afghanistan, Australia, England, and South Africa. Arguably, teams in Group B should find it easier, as they play all their matches in Pakistan, while those in Group A will have to travel to Dubai for their matches against India.

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The format

Each side will play the other in their group once on a round-robin basis. The top two finishers in each group will progress to the knock-out stages, with Net Run Rate used for teams finishing with the same number of points. Two points are awarded for a win, and one for a tied game or one that cannot be completed for whatever reason. The winner of Group A will then play the runner-up in Group B in one semi-final, with the reverse in the other semi-final.

The schedule

The tournament begins on 19 February when Pakistan begins its campaign against New Zealand in Karachi. The group stages last until 2 March, with the two semi-finals taking place on 4 and 5 March. The final itself is scheduled for 9 March.

Highlights include the India-Pakistan clash in Dubai on 23 February, a day after Australia and England renewed their historic rivalry in Lahore.

The venues

Three grounds in Pakistan will stage matches: the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the National Stadium in Karachi, and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium will host all of India’s matches and one of the semi-finals.

The final will be played in Dubai, if India are involved in it, or Lahore otherwise.

ODI rankings

On the eve of the tournament, the ICC ODI rankings provide a useful form guide. They are currently topped by India, with Australia (who has just beaten them in the Border-Gavaskar Test series) close behind them. Pakistan, South Africa, and New Zealand are ranked three, four and five, respectively. England are currently only seventh – Sri Lanka, ranked above them, have not qualified this time – and Bangladesh and Afghanistan follow after them.

Group stage predictions

Group A

India will begin as a favourite to top Group A and win the entire competition. That is despite some question marks over the composition of their team. They will be hoping that Jasprit Bumrah, who was injured in the Fifth Test against Australia, is fit to take his place because, as he showed in the T20 World Cup final, few match his ability to bowl with accuracy and economy in the death overs of a match. With batters like Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant, and Shubman Gill on their side, they have the batting lineup to punish any bowling attack.

Pakistan will be a favourite to join them, as they will benefit from playing at home in two of their group matches. They have been boosted by the recent return to form of former captain Babar Azam, who was dropped by the national selectors after a poor run last year, only to have rediscovered once again why he was rated the number one batter in all three formats at one stage. Spin-friendly conditions should also help their bowlers.

New Zealand’s chances should not be discounted entirely.  They won this competition back in 2000, and, more recently, they were runners-up in the 2019 World Cup, only losing to England after a Super Over. Their shock win over India in their test series in October also showed that they can cope with sub-continental conditions. But they are a side in transition, with a number of senior players having retired recently, and this may be a tournament too soon for some of their replacements.

Bangladesh will be considered the outsiders in this group, lacking the strength and depth of the other teams in batting and bowling.

Group B

It is difficult to look past Australia as the winners of Group B, not least because of their winning mentality. That was shown in the last World Cup, where they made a poor start before winning nine successive matches, including the final itself. Although the conditions may negate some of the threats their fast bowlers pose, they have good spin options and batters capable of posting big scores.

England and South Africa are the contenders to grab the other semi-final place. This will be the first tournament in charge for England under head coach Brendon McCullum, who has now added white-ball cricket to his white-ball responsibilities. He has welcomed back Joe Root into the fold, but they will miss Ben Stokes, who is out injured and so often a match-winner for them.

South Africa may be dark horses, having come up on the rails to seize a place in the World Test Championship. With a balanced batting and bowling attack, they could yet be the surprise team of this tournament.

Afghanistan’s presence in the tournament is controversial. England and South Africa have threatened to boycott their games because of the treatment of women under the Taliban, and Australia has previously refused to play bilateral series against them for the same reasons. However, they showed at the T20 World Cup last year, where they reached the semi-finals, that they have good players, and it would be a mistake to underestimate them.

Knock-out stages and final

Assuming a semi-final lineup of India, Pakistan, Australia, South Africa or England, then India and Australia would be favourites to meet in the final in Dubai. That would be a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final, which Australia won, and they would be tipped to do so again. They appear to have the edge when it comes to the two teams just now, and they do not suffer from the same burden of expectation from their fans as India.

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