2025 ICC Champions Trophy

The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy was the ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy. It was hosted by Pakistan Cricket Board from 19 February to 9 March 2025 and featured 15 matches held across three venues in Pakistan and one in the United Arab Emirates.
The tournament was contested by the top eight ranked men's national teams qualified from the 2023 World Cup. Afghanistan made their debut appearance in the tournament.
Co-hosts Pakistan were the defending champions and were eliminated in the group stage. India became the champions by defeating New Zealand in the final and also became the first team to win three Champions Trophy titles.
The ICC Champions Trophy is a quadrennial ODI cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Initially held as a biennial tournament since its inaugural edition in 1998 as ICC KnockOut Trophy, it was rebranded as ICC Champions Trophy in 2002 and has been held as a quadrennial tournament since 2009. In 2016, the ICC cancelled future editions of the Champions Trophy after the 2017 tournament, aiming to have only one major tournament in each format of international cricket. However in November 2021 as part of the 2024–2031 ICC men's hosts cycle, ICC announced that the tournament would return from 2025 onwards.
Pakistan was announced as the host of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy on 16 November 2021 as part of the 2024–2031 ICC men's hosts cycle. It is the first global tournament to be hosted by Pakistan after almost 29 years, since the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team. The last major tournament to take place in the country was the 1996 Cricket World Cup which it co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka. United Arab Emirates was announced as a neutral venue for Indian Cricket Team matches due to India's refusal to play in Pakistan.
The format of the competition had remained the same as it was since eight teams were introduced in the fray back in 2006. All eight teams were slotted into two groups of four, with each team playing once against every other team in the group. The top two teams from each group advanced to the knockout stage, featuring two semi-finals leading up to the final.
The India–Pakistan cricket rivalry has been severely impacted by the tense political relations between the two nations. In November 2023, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) met with the ICC Executive Board to discuss compensation if India refused to play in Pakistan. A year later, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed the ICC that India wouldn't travel to Pakistan for the tournament, citing security concerns. Pakistan demanded a written explanation and initially rejected the proposed hybrid model.
On 19 December 2024, following an agreement between BCCI and PCB, the ICC in an update issued on India and Pakistan hosted matches at ICC events, established that the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be played across Pakistan and a neutral venue. The ICC board confirmed that India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC events between 2024 and 2027 would be played at a neutral venue. The fixtures were announced on 24 December 2024, along with the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, UAE as the neutral venue for the tournament.
The ICC allocated a pool of US$6.9 million in prize money for the tournament, a 53 percent increase from the previous edition. The winners would receive the grand prize of $2.24 million, with each team receiving an additional $125,000 for participating.
On 13 November 2024, the ICC launched a new visual identity for the Champions Trophy with the release of a brand launch video, as the event returned for the first time since 2017. On 14 November 2024, The PCB announced the schedule for trophy tour in the region of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The PCB's plan to take the trophy to cities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir was objected to by the BCCI. On 16 November 2024, the ICC officially announced the global trophy tour for the Champions Trophy starting in Islamabad, with the cities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir excluded. The silverware journeyed across the eight participating nations. The global trophy tour concluded with India in January, as the trophy went back to Pakistan.
On 30 January 2025, it was announced that a captains' event would not be held for the tournament. The official theme song for the tournament titled "Jeeto Baazi Khel Ke" produced by Abdullah Siddiqui and performed by Atif Aslam was released on 7 February 2025. On 12 February 2025, the ICC revealed Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shane Watson, Shikhar Dhawan and Tim Southee as the ambassadors for the tournament. On 16 February 2025, a curtain raiser event was held at Lahore Fort in Pakistan, to mark the commencement of the tournament. Three days later on 19 February 2025, the opening ceremony took place at the National Stadium, Karachi. The event featured an aerobatic display by the Pakistan Air Force's Sherdils Squadron with the President Asif Ali Zardari in attendance as the chief guest.
Pakistan qualified for the competition automatically as hosts and was joined by seven other highest-ranked teams from the 2023 Cricket World Cup group stage. This was the first time former champions Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the tournament, while Afghanistan made their debut appearance in the tournament.
In December 2022, the Pakistan Cricket Board was given approval by the Government of Pakistan for the construction of a new cricket stadium in Islamabad for the tournament. On 28 April 2024, three existing venues were proposed for the event by Pakistan. The matches are being hosted in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi with India playing in Dubai.
On 5 February 2025, ICC released the list of match referees and umpires for the tournament. On 10 February 2025, the match officials schedule for the group stage was released, and on 3 March 2025, the match officials for the two semi-finals had been confirmed. On 6 March 2025, the ICC announced the match officials for the final.
Each team could select a squad of fifteen players for the tournament, with additional travelling reserves also able to be named. England became the first team to announce their squad on 22 December 2024. New Zealand, Bangladesh and Afghanistan announced their squads on 12 January 2025. Australia and South Africa announced their squads on 13 January. India announced their squad on 18 January 2025. Pakistan announced their squad on 31 January 2025. The final squads for each nation was announced on 13 February 2025. Several teams' missed their regular players originally part of the provisional squad, as they had been replaced as a result of late withdrawals due to injuries.
The warm-up fixtures took place between 14–17 February in the lead-up to the main tournament. The PCB had named three Shaheens squads for the warm-up matches against Afghanistan, South Africa and Bangladesh, respectively, along with a fixture between Afghanistan and New Zealand.
The ICC announced the groups and their fixtures on 24 December 2024, with the group stage matches being played from 19 February to 2 March 2025. The eight teams were divided into two groups of four, with each team facing the other three teams in the group for a total of 12 matches. The opening match was played between hosts Pakistan and New Zealand on 19 February at the National Stadium, Karachi. Following table lists teams in their initial group stage seedings.
The tournament commenced on 19 February 2025, with the hosts and defending champions Pakistan taking on New Zealand in Karachi. Batting first, New Zealand scored 320/5 in 50 overs with centuries from Young (107) and Latham (118*) and then bowled out Pakistan for 260 runs to win by 60 runs. The Pakistan players were fined 5% of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate during their match as they were found one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. In the second match, India took on Bangladesh in Dubai. Bangladesh, batting first, was bowled out for 228 in 49.4 overs, headed by Shami's fifer (5/53), whereas Hridoy scored a century (100). India chased down the target with 3.3 overs left, led by a century from Gill (101*) and winning by 6 wickets.
The third match was held between Afghanistan and South Africa. South Africa scored 315/6 in 50 overs, with the help of Rickelton's century (103), before bowling out Afghanistan for 208 in 43.3 overs to win by 107 runs. The fourth match saw the biggest rivals in cricket, England and Australia take on each other. Put into bat, England scored 351/8, with Duckett scoring 165. In reply, Australia made the highest successful run chase in any ICC event by chasing it down with 5 wickets and 15 balls remaining, led by Inglis's century (120*).
The fifth match saw arch-rivals India and Pakistan go head to head. Choosing to bat first, Pakistan was bowled out for 241. India, then chased down the target in 42.3 overs with 6 wickets remaining led by a century (100*) from Kohli. The sixth match between Bangladesh and New Zealand saw Bangladesh set a target of 237, with Bracewell taking 4/26. New Zealand chased the target down in 46.1 overs, headed by Rachin's hundred (112), winning by 5 wickets. With this, New Zealand and India qualified to the semi-finals from Group A, whereas Bangladesh and Pakistan were knocked out simultaneously.
The seventh match between Australia and South Africa was abandoned without a ball bowled. In the eighth match, Afghanistan, batting first, scored 325/7 in 50 overs, led by Zadran, scoring 177 off 146 balls. Chasing 326 in what was a must-win game for both teams in Group B, England was bowled out, thanks to Omarzai's five-wicket haul (5/58) ensuring that England fell eight runs short of the target, despite Root's century (120). As a result, England was knocked out of the tournament.
The ninth match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, a dead rubber, was abandoned after persistent rains played spoilsport in Rawalpindi. Few days after their group stage exit from the tournament, on 5 March 2025, Bangladesh's veteran wicketkeeper batsman, Mushfiqur called an end to his One-Day International career, remaining active only in the Test format. A week later, on 12 March 2025, Bangladesh's 39-year-old, utility allrounder Mahmudullah also announced his retirement from the only format he was still active in - ODIs. In the tenth match, Australia bowled out Afghanistan for 273. Chasing the target, they were 109/1 in 12.5 overs, but rain prevented any further play, and hence, the points were shared. As a result, Australia qualified for the semi-finals, for the first time since 2009 edition.
The eleventh match was held between South Africa and England. England after choosing to bat first, was bowled out for 179 in 38.2 overs. In reply, South Africa convincingly chased down the target, winning by 7 wickets. As a result of this match, South Africa and Australia finished first and second respectively at the points table in group B. The twelfth and last match of the group stage, was held between already qualified semi-finalists, India and New Zealand. After being asked to bat, India scored 249/9 in their 50 overs, whereas Henry took a fifer (5/42). While defending the total, India all-out New Zealand for 204 runs, winning by 44 runs, led by Chakravarthy who took a five-wicket haul (5/42). As a result of this match, India and New Zealand finished first and second respectively at the points table in group A.
The knockout stage consisted of two semi-finals and a final. The first semi-final was held in Dubai on 4 March, and the second in Lahore on 5 March. The final was held in Dubai on 9 March. The ICC had stated that if India qualified for the final, it would be held in Dubai or else in Lahore.
Both India and New Zealand, after winning each of their first two matches, simultaneously qualified for the semi-finals from Group A on 24 February, when New Zealand completed their second win of the tournament in their match against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi. Australia, after winning their first match and their second match getting abandoned, qualified for the semi-finals on 28 February, when their match against Afghanistan at Lahore ended with no result due to rain. South Africa, after winning their first match and their second match getting abandoned, qualified for the semi-finals on 1 March, when they won group B's last match against England at Karachi.
The match-ups for semi-finals were confirmed on 2 March 2025 after India defeated New Zealand in the last match of the group stage at Dubai. India and New Zealand ranked first and second at the points table in Group A and qualified as A1 and A2 with 6 and 4 points respectively. South Africa and Australia, ranked first and second at the points table in Group B, qualified as B1 and B2 with 5 and 4 points respectively. India (A1) played Australia (B2) in the first semi-final on 4 March in Dubai, and New Zealand (A2) played South Africa (B1) in the second semi-final on 5 March in Lahore.
The tournament bracket is shown below, with bold denoting the winners of each match.
The first semi-final saw modern-day cricket's most-intense rivalry, India and Australia go against each other in Dubai. After winning the toss, Australia chose to bat first and were bowled out for 264 in 49.3 overs, led by Shami taking 3/48 in his 10 overs for India. In the second innings, after Kohli's match-defining 84, India knocked-out Australia from the tournament, winning by 4 wickets with 11 balls left and as a result, and became the first team to qualify for the final. Following the match, Australia's captain, Smith, who also was Australia's highest run-scorer in this match (73), announced his retirement from ODI cricket. Further, as India qualified to their third successive Champions Trophy final and fifth overall, it was confirmed that the final would be held in Dubai.
The second semi-final began with New Zealand winning the toss and batting first. They posted a total of 362/6, breaking the record for the highest-ever innings total in Champions Trophy history. Rachin (108) and Williamson (102) both scored centuries. In reply, South Africa could only score 312/9, with Miller scoring 100 not out, as New Zealand won by 50 runs, headed by captain Santner, who took 3/43. As a result, New Zealand qualified for the final, their third in Champions Trophy history after the 2000 and 2009 events.
In the final, held between India and New Zealand, after winning the toss, New Zealand's captain, Santner chose to bat first. New Zealand started their innings well and were at 57 for no loss till 7.4 overs, but India came back by squeezing the run-rate through tight spells and partnership-breaking wickets at regular intervals by their spin-bowlers, Chakravarthy (2/45), Kuldeep (2/40), and spin bowling all-rounders, Patel (0/29) and Jadeja (1/30). New Zealand reached a total of 251/7 in their 50 overs with Mitchell (63 off 101 balls) scoring the most and a quickfire fifty by Bracewell (53* off 40 balls) towards the end of the innings. While chasing the total, India were cruising at 105 for no loss till 18.3 overs, but a brilliant catch by Phillips, to dismiss Gill (31) off Santner's delivery, opened the door for New Zealand as the fall of 2 more wickets in quick succession, saw the match in balance as India were at 122/3 in 26.1 overs with both senior players, Kohli (1) and Sharma (76) out. However, a key steady partnership of 61 runs off 75 balls, between Iyer (48) and Patel (29) brought back India's momentum, and later Pandya (18) accelerated the run-chase. Rahul (34*) and Jadeja (9*), both remained un-dismissed, as Jadeja hit the last ball of the 49th over into the fence, winning the final by 4 wickets with an over to spare. Indian captain, Sharma (76 off 83 balls) was the highest run-scorer for his team and his opening assault in the first powerplay, proved crucial in India's trophy victory. With this, India won their 2nd consecutive ICC tournament, both unbeaten (without losing a single game), in just a span of 8 months and 10 days, first the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 and then this was their overall 3rd Champions Trophy title, after the 2002 (joint-winners with Sri Lanka) and the 2013 edition, becoming the most successful team at the ICC Champions Trophy.
On 10 March 2025, the ICC announced its team of the tournament with Rachin Ravindra being named as player of the tournament for his all round performance throughout the tournament and Mitchell Santner as the captain of the team.
The Star Sports network handles the global broadcasting rights as part of their deal with the ICC. The Champions Trophy can be live streamed on ICC.tv worldwide except for in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar and Pakistan. Additionally, it can be viewed on following platforms in their respective regions:
The commentary panel for the tournament was announced on 18 February 2025.