Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed the schedule for the Champions Trophy and the tournament will be played from February 19 to March 10. The India vs Pakistan fixture will be played on February 23 in Dubai. All the India matches will be played in Dubai and the final of the tournament will be played on March 9 with 10th being the reserve day. However, there are two possible venues for the final - Dubai and Karachi. If India makes it to the finals, the fixture will be played in Dubai while if they don't reach the title clash, the fixture will be played in Karachi.
The tournament with eight participants will be played in Pakistan and Dubai with a total of 15 matches. Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi are the three venues in Pakistan which will host the fixtures of the competition. Each of those venues will host three group matches with Lahore hosting the second semi-final.
Group A teams, Pakistan and New Zealand will lock horns in the tournament opener in Karachi on February 19. The Dubai leg will start the next day with India squaring off against Bangladesh. Group B matches will commence on 21 February with Afghanistan taking on South Africa in Karachi. The participant teams have qualified for the tournament by finishing in the top eight positions in the points table of the World Cup played last year.
Date
Fixture
Venue
February 19, 2025
Pakistan vs New Zealand
Karachi
February 20, 2025
India vs Bangladesh
Dubai
February 21, 2025
Afghanistan vs South Africa
Karachi
February 22, 2025
Australia vs England
Lahore
February 23, 2025
Pakistan vs India
Dubai
February 24, 2025
Bangladesh vs New Zealand
Rawalpindi
February 25, 2025
Australia vs South Africa
Rawalpindi
February 26, 2025
Afghanistan vs England
Lahore
February 27, 2025
Pakistan vs Bangladesh
Rawalpindi
February 28, 2025
Afghanistan vs Australia
Lahore
March 1, 2025
South Africa vs England
Karachi
March 2, 2025
New Zealand vs India
Dubai
March 4, 2025
Semi-final 1
Dubai
March 5, 2025
Semi-final 2
Lahore
March 9, 2025
Final
Lahore/Dubai
March 10, 2025
Reserve day
Lahore/Dubai
Group A of the tournament includes defending Champions Pakistan along with India, New Zealand and Bangladesh. Group B of the tournament comprises World Cup 2023 champions Australia along with Afghanistan, England and South Africa.
The tournament was surrounded by controversy even before its scheduling. India had denied travelling to Pakistan to play Champions Trophy and had demanded a hybrid model. In response, Pakistan had also put forth the condition that they would not play their matches in India if the neighbouring country hosts the ICC events. After a series of negotiations, the tournament was finalised in a hybrid model and ICC also announced that both the countries will not play in each other's soil in ICC events till 2027.
