December 19, 2024: The ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 will be played across Pakistan and a neutral venue, as announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday. This decision comes as part of a broader strategy to handle the tense political relations between India and Pakistan, ensuring that matches between the two nations in the 2024-2027 ICC event cycle will be held at a neutral venue.
The ICC confirmed that India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue. This hybrid model applies not only to the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 but also to other major ICC events during this period, including:
- ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India)
- ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and Sri Lanka)
- ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2028 (hosted by Pakistan)
Champions Trophy 2025:
The Champions Trophy 2025 will be jointly held across Pakistan and a neutral venue, with the event scheduled for February and March 2025.
The eight teams competing will include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa, and host Pakistan.
The defending champions, Pakistan, will aim to retain their title after defeating India in the final of the 2017 edition.
Other Future Events:
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been awarded the hosting rights for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2028, where neutral venue arrangements will also be applied.
Cricket Australia is set to host one of the senior ICC women’s events between 2029 and 2031.
Political Tensions: The decision to hold matches between India and Pakistan at neutral venues stems from the longstanding political tensions between the two countries, which have affected bilateral cricketing ties.
India has not toured Pakistan since 2008, and the two nations last played a bilateral series in 2012-13 in India.
Since then, India and Pakistan have faced off primarily in ICC tournaments and Asia Cups, but there has been no direct bilateral cricket series between the two countries due to strained diplomatic relations.
For Pakistan: Hosting the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 is a historic opportunity for Pakistan cricket, marking the return of a major ICC event to the country. However, with the hybrid model, it is clear that some matches between India and Pakistan will take place at a neutral location to avoid the political tensions that have historically affected their encounters.
For India: While India will host the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, the neutral venue rule ensures that any potential matchups with Pakistan in these events will not take place on Indian soil due to the diplomatic climate. This will likely create logistical and fan experience challenges but is seen as a necessary step to maintain the smooth running of ICC events.
Global Cricket: The hybrid model reflects a practical compromise that seeks to accommodate the interests of both nations while ensuring that global tournaments proceed without disruption. It underscores the ICC’s role in managing the complexities of international relations within the context of global sports.
The schedule for the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 will be confirmed soon, with the event set to be a highlight in the cricket calendar.
The neutral venue arrangements are also likely to continue to be a feature of ICC events for the foreseeable future, particularly as the cricket world navigates the political sensitivities around India-Pakistan encounters.
This move by the ICC reflects a pragmatic approach to balancing the needs of global cricket with the political realities that affect the sport. By ensuring that high-profile India-Pakistan matches are held at neutral venues, the ICC is aiming to preserve the integrity of the game while avoiding the disruptions that political tensions could cause. For fans, especially in both India and Pakistan, this means that their teams will still compete in ICC events, but perhaps in a less traditional format.
