Champions Trophy venue: Champions Trophy 2025 to be held in Pakistan and neutral venue; where will India play?

The ICC Board on Thursday approved a hybrid model for the 2025 ICC Men’s Champions Trophy, set to be hosted by Pakistan. Under this arrangement, India-Pakistan matches will take place at neutral venues proposed by the host. This hybrid approach also applies to other ICC events from 2024 to 2027, including the Women’s World Cup 2025 (India) and Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (India/Sri Lanka).

In addition, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been awarded hosting rights of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also apply. Cricket Australia has also been awarded hosting rights for one of the senior ICC women’s events during the period 2029 to 2031.

India had refused to travel to Pakistan for the event scheduled in February-March due to security concerns. India have not played in Pakistan since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

It remains uncertain whether the host country will be the UAE or Sri Lanka, as per a Cricbuzz report. “While the PCB, the designated host of the eight-team championship, appears to favour Sri Lanka, logistical convenience may ultimately tilt the decision towards the UAE. If so, Dubai will host the India-Pakistan game.”

The match schedule for the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 will be confirmed in the coming days.