ICC Champions Trophy Guide: A billboard depicting portraits of the captains of participating cricket teams in ICC Champions Trophy 2025, installed at a roadside, in Lahore, Pakistan. (AP Photo)ICC Champions Trophy guide: Pakistan will host its first mega cricket event when the ICC Champions Trophy starts tomorrow with Pakistan taking on New Zealand in the tournament opener. Seven teams have travelled to Pakistan for the event while India will play their matches in Dubai.
Ahead of the big opening game on Wednesday, here’s our ultimate guide to the ICC Champions Trophy which explains which teams are playing, when India will play their matches, how the eight teams qualified for the Champions Trophy and why the venue for the Champions Trophy final has not been announced yet:
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand are in Group A while the remaining four teams — Australia, Afghanistan, England, South Africa — are in group B.
India find themselves in Group A at the Champions Trophy with Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand. Here’s India’s schedule for the event:
Feb 20: India vs Bangladesh
Feb 23: India vs Pakistan
March 2: India vs New Zealand
Other key dates
The event kicks off at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 19, with Pakistan taking on New Zealand. India, who are the runners-up from 2017 and two-time winners, play their first game on February 20 against Bangladesh in Dubai. The India vs Pakistan game happens on Sunday, February 23. Reigning Cricket World Cup winners Australia face England in their opening fixture on Saturday, February 22.
The two semi-finals will be played on March 4 and March 5 in Dubai and Lahore respectively. The final is scheduled for March 9.
Pakistan cricket fans watch the tri-series ODI cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on February 8, 2025. (AP Photo)
Previously the top-eight ranked ODI sides would feature in the Champions Trophy. But for the 2025 edition, the qualification used the results of the 2023 edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. The teams that occupied the top-eight spots in the 10-team points table, including the hosts Pakistan, sealed their place for the Champions Trophy.
The format of the competition has endured since 2006. The eight teams are divided into two groups of four teams each. Each team plays once against every other team in the group. And then, the top-two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals, determining the two that will feature in the summit clash.
Workers install billboards on a structure of an entry point to Gaddafi Stadium, in Pakistan’s Lahore, in preparation for upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on Saturday. (AP Photo)
The uncertainty about the venue of the Champions Trophy final exists because of Team India. The Indians have refused to travel to Pakistan for any cricket matches. So if they make it to the final, the game will be played in Dubai, where India are playing all their Group A games including the one against Pakistan. If India do not make it to the final, the game will be played in Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Pakistan was supposed to be the solo host country until India’s refusal to play in Pakistan forced the ICC to propose a hybrid model.
The eight teams at this year’s Champions Trophy are competing for $2.24 million. The runners-up will receive $1.12 million, while each losing semi-finalist will take home $560,000. The total prize pool has increased by 53 percent from the 2017 edition, reaching $6.9 million.
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