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.
🚨 Announced 🚨
— ICC (@ICC) December 24, 2024
The official fixtures for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 are out!
Read on ⬇https://t.co/V8AVhRxxYu
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.
