The ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Previews, schedule, contenders & Teams

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is just around the corner, and excitement among fans worldwide is at its peak. The cricketing world is eagerly awaiting the marque event and the teams' preparations are in full swing. 

In this article, we will discuss the complete analysis, schedule, strong contenders, and list of the participating teams. This event is expected to be a top-class cricket festival, with the 8 best teams trying to win the ultimate glory.

History of the ICC Champions Trophy

ICC Champions Trophy is one of the 4 major global events that the ICC holds. The history of the ICC Champions Trophy shows that it was 1st organized in June 1998 in Bangladesh. After that 7 more ICC Champions Trophy events were held by ICC in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013, and 2017. Australia and India are the most successful teams as they have won the event twice (India and Sri Lanka shared the trophy in the 2002 edition). Pakistan, West Indies, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka (Trophy shared) have the global event once.

Teams in ICC Champions Trophy 2025

This time around the participant teams are Pakistan, India, Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. All the teams are placed in two groups.

Group A	Group B
Pakistan	Afghanistan
India	Australia
Bangladesh	England
New Zealand	South Africa

Teams to Watch in ICC Champions Trophy 2025

The strong contenders in The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 are Australia, India, and New Zealand, Because these are all the top teams they have great depth in both bowling and batting departments, they have a good mix of youngsters and experienced players, have solid bench strength, and are in top-level form at the moment.

The host Pakistan will be the most potent threat for all teams as they are playing in their home conditions and they have the ability and players to turn the tables in the mega event.

Who are the Key Players in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025?

Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Babar Azam, Kane Williamson, Joss Buttler, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Steve Smith, and Rohit Sharma are the players whose form and performance in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be crucial for their respective team's chances in the mega event.

Who Will Win the ICC Champions Trophy 2025?

Team India is the favorite to win the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as they have the strongest team among all participants and have covered all the bases. They have quality spinners, Very good experienced batters like Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, Very good fast bowlers, and experienced all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya. So, on paper, they are the best side with the most significant chance to be crowned winners at the end.

Schedule

Pakistan is the host country for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, but due to political tensions, India is set to play its matches at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The full schedule of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is below.

Date	Fixture	Venue	Time (PST)
19 Feb 2025	Pakistan vs New Zealand	National Stadium, Karachi	02:00 pm
20 Feb 2025	Bangladesh vs India	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	02:00 pm
21 Feb 2025	Afghanistan vs South Africa	National Stadium, Karachi	02:00 pm
22 Feb 2025	Australia vs England	Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore	02:00 pm
23 Feb 2025	Pakistan vs India	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	02:00 pm
24 Feb 2025	Bangladesh vs New Zealand	National Stadium, Karachi	02:00 pm
25 Feb 2025	Afghanistan vs Australia	Rawalpindi, Cricket Stadium	02:00 pm
26 Feb 2025	England vs South Africa	Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore	02:00 pm
27 Feb 2025	Pakistan vs Bangladesh	National Stadium, Karachi	02:00 pm
28 Feb 2025	New Zealand vs India	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	02:00 pm
01 Mar 2025	Afghanistan vs England	Rawalpindi, Cricket Stadium	02:00 pm
02 Mar 2025	South Africa vs Australia	Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore	02:00 pm
04 Mar 2025	A1 VS B2	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	02:00 pm
05 Mar 2025	B1 vs A2	Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore	02:00 pm
09 Mar 2025	Final	Dubai International Cricket Stadium or Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore	02:00 pm

"So, What do you think about which teams are the strongest for The ICC Champions Trophy 2025? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Now let's answer a few of the frequently asked questions about the tournament." 

Image credits to BBC News.

FAQs about ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Who will host the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025?

This time around Pakistan is hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. but it is worth mentioning here that due to political tensions between India and Pakistan India is set to play its matches in UAE.

Where is the Champions Trophy Schedule in 2025?

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is scheduled to start from 19th February 2025 with Pakistan and New Zealand will face each other in curtain raiser.  The Event comprises 15 matches which will be played across 4 venues National Stadium Karachi, Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Will India Go to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025?

No, due to political tensions, Team India will not travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. They will play their games including the semi-final and final (subject to their qualification) in Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

How many ICC trophies Pakistan has won?

Pakistan is a passionate cricketing nation they have won 3 ICC trophies including the ICC ODI World Cup 1992,  The  ICC T2O World Cup 2009, and The ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

Will Saim Ayub Play the ICC Champions Trophy?

The PCB officially announced on Friday that Saim Ayub is out of The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to Ankle Injury so he will not play in this ICC event.

Where can I watch the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan?

Broadcaster Licensee

Licensee	Territories	Websites
Amazon	Australia	www.primevideo.com
Disney Star	India+(linear feed goes into Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives)	www.hotstar.com
E&	MENA	starzplay.com/en/sports
ESPN	Caribbean Islands, LATAM & Brazil	espncricinfo.com
ICC	ROW	ICC.tv
Maharaja TV	Sri Lanka	www.sirasatv.lk
PNG Digicel	Papua New Guinea	N/A
PTV, Ten Sports	Pakistan	sports.ptv.com.pk, tamashaweb.com
Sky Sports	UK & Northern Ireland	www.skysports.com www.sky.com/watch/sky-go/windows www.nowtv.com
SuperSport	Sub-Saharan Africa	www.supersport.com
TSM	Bangladesh	toffeelive.com
Willow	USA & Canada	www.willow.tv www.cricbuzz.com
Ariana TV	Afghanistan	N/A
Sky TV NZ	New Zealand	www.sky.co.nz www.skysport.co.nz www.skygo.co.nz www.skysportnow.co.nz

 

Is the Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan?

Yes, The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is going to be played in Pakistan across four venues Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Dubai (Team India is set to play its games at Dubai International Cricket Stadium).

How many teams are there in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025?

There are 8  teams including Pakistan, India, Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. All the teams are placed in two groups.

Group A	Group B
Pakistan	Afghanistan
India	Australia
Bangladesh	England
New Zealand	South Africa

How many times did Pakistan beat India in the Champions Trophy?

Both teams have faced each other 5 times in ICC Champions Trophy with Pakistan winning 3 games and India 2

What is the Prize money for the ICC  Champions Trophy?

The Total Prize money is 6.9 million dollars. Here is the breakdown of this total prize.

• 1st position:                     2.24 Million
• 2nd position:                    1.12 million$
• Semifinalists:                   560,000$ (each)
• 5th & 6th position:           350,000$
• 7th & 8th position:           140,000$  
• Group stage match fee:   34,000$