Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule: India kicks off their tournament against Bangladesh on February 20, and the highly anticipated match against Pakistan is set for February 23 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The ICC revealed the schedule on Tuesday, putting an end to the uncertainty about where the tournament would be held. Instead of Pakistan, India will play at a neutral venue, while Pakistan will have a similar setup for events in India until 2027.

In Group A, we have India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and New Zealand, while Group B features Australia, England, Afghanistan, and South Africa.

This year's Champions Trophy marks its return after an eight-year hiatus, with the last tournament taking place in England in 2017, where Pakistan triumphed over India in the final. The tournament kicks off with Pakistan facing New Zealand on February 19 in Karachi.

After their matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan, India will wrap up their Group A games against New Zealand on March 2.

The top two teams from each group will move on to the semi-finals, which are set for March 4 and 5, with the final showdown happening on March 9.

The 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to kick off on March 14, which means the Champions Trophy will happen just five days before the start of this lucrative league.

Last week, the ICC finally resolved the uncertainty surrounding the hosting of next year's Champions Trophy, announcing that India will host the 50-over matches at a neutral venue instead of in Pakistan. In return, Pakistan will have a similar setup for tournaments held in India until 2027.

This agreement between the BCCI and PCB will also apply to the 2028 Women's T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Pakistan.

Additionally, this arrangement will include next year's Women's World Cup in India and the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

Delay in Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule: PCB-BCCI Dispute at the Core

India has decided not to take part in the Champions Trophy 2025, which is set for February-March in Pakistan, due to security issues. Ever since the devastating Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 that claimed 150 lives, Indian teams have steered clear of playing in Pakistan. The last time the two countries faced off in a bilateral cricket match was back in 2012.

For Indian teams to travel to Pakistan, they need clearance from their government, which has maintained its stance on the matter. After some behind-the-scenes talks, this decision was expected since the governing body of the sport had been pretty quiet on the issue during Greg Barclay's tenure as chairman.

With Jay Shah taking over on December 1, it became essential for everyone involved—like the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and the broadcasters—to sort out the details for the 50-over tournament, the last of which was held in the UK in 2017.

This announcement is Shah's first major move as leader. While the BCCI's stance has been clear, talks dragged on because the PCB felt the proposal for neutral venues was "one-sided." The PCB, under the leadership of Pakistan's interior minister Mohsin Naqvi, was keen on maintaining its reputation with the local fans.

Even though the PCB sent its team to India for the ODI World Cup last year and initially opposed the hybrid model, they eventually agreed to it on reciprocal terms. The PCB also mentioned needing a bigger slice of the annual revenue pie to satisfy India's conditions for the hybrid model, but there haven't been any updates on whether that has been discussed or agreed upon.

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