After months of conflicts between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the ICC has finally agreed to host all the matches of Pakistan in the upcoming ICC events till 2027 in a neutral country. This will apply to the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (Pakistan), ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (India), and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (India and Sri Lanka),
In return, Pakistan agreed to host the Champions Trophy 2025 in a hybrid model, where all the matches of the Indian cricket team will take place in UAE or Sri Lanka including the semi-final and final of the mega event, providing India will qualify for the knockout games.
The tournament host will decide on a neutral venue, which must be approved by the ICC. For the Champions Trophy, the PCB must suggest a neutral venue within 24 hours after the decision is made. The UAE is the top choice, although Sri Lanka has also been considered. The PCB will keep full hosting rights for the event.
The Champions Trophy 2025 featuring eight elite teams – Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa, and Pakistan – will take place in February and March next year. In the meantime, the ICC stated that the timetable for the mega-event will be finalized shortly.
Pakistan is set to host the first ICC tournament since 1996, Pakistan are the defending champions after their victory in the 2017 edition of the Champions Trophy against India. Along with the men’s event, Pakistan has also obtained the hosting rights for the 2028 Women’s T20 World Cup.
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Jasir Basharat is a cricket enthusiast capturing the heart of the game through insightful analysis and storytelling sharing his passion for the sport through engaging narratives. He is a business graduate from University of Kashmir.
