The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on December 19 that the 2025 Champions Trophy will be held using a hybrid model, with matches involving India taking place at a neutral venue during the eight-team tournament.
In a statement, the ICC confirmed that “India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue,” as previously reported by India Today. This decision means that Pakistan will not travel to India for their matches during the Women’s ODI World Cup in 2025 and the T20 World Cup in 2026.
The tournament is set to commence on February 19 in Pakistan but faced some uncertainty due to India’s unwillingness to travel to the host nation. The ICC clarified that this arrangement applies to the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan), scheduled for February and March 2025, as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka).
Additionally, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been granted hosting rights for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also be in effect. Furthermore, Cricket Australia is set to host one senior ICC women’s event during the 2029-2031 cycle.
The schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be announced soon, with Pakistan looking to defend the title they won back in 2017. The eight teams participating will include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, in addition to the hosts, Pakistan.